THE IVY

Press & Industry Screenings: TUE, 02.09.2025, 19:00 | Sala Casinò
TUE, 02.09.2025, 21:30 | Sala Volpi
World Premiere: WED, 03.09.2025, 14:15 | Sala Darsena
Screening: THU, 04.09.2025, 14:00 | PalaBiennale

 

Director Ana Cristina Barragán and main actors Simone Bucio and Francis Eddú Llumiquinga are available for interviews.
THE IVY (Hiedra) by writer-director Ana Cristina Barragán is world premiering in the Orizzonti Competition at the Venice International Film Festival 2025. Thethird feature by acclaimed Ecuadorian director of Alba (Lions Film Award Rotterdam, San Sebastian Horizons Award – Special Mention 2016) is about the resilient connection formed between two outsiders, transcending trauma and a world that tries to exclude them.

THE IVY tells the story of Azucena and Julio, two individuals from vastly different social backgrounds who are connected by a shared experience of trauma. Together, they set out on a journey beyond the confines of a society that has never truly included them. With fearlessness and intimacy, the film explores the complexities of disordered, unresolved desire and intimate, often wordless relationships.

SYNOPSIS
Azucena, a woman in her thirties, approaches Julio, a teenage boy living in a group home, for reasons he doesn’t understand. As they spend time together, an uneasy closeness grows, changing the shape of a bond neither of them expected to find.

Ana Cristina Barragán (Quito, 1987) is a screenwriter and film director. Her debut feature, Alba (2016), premiered at the Rotterdam International Film Festival, where it received an award, and earned an Honorable Mention at the San Sebastián Film Festival. Alba went on to win over 35 international awards, was Ecuador’s official submission to the Academy Awards®, and was featured in the Latin American cinema showcase at MoMA in New York. Her second feature, La Piel Pulpo (2022), premiered at San Sebastián and was selected for festivals including Thessaloniki, Guadalajara, and Munich. It received six Colibrí Awards from the Ecuadorian Film Academy and was part of the 2024 Platino Awards. Barragán has directed several short films, including Ave (TIFF 2023) and Domingo Violeta (Locarno, 2010). THE IVY is her third feature. She is currently developing her fourth feature, Amapola, a series titled La Costra y la Miel, her first documentary, and various projects involving analog photography and writing.

THE IVY features Simone Bucio (The Untamed) and first-time actor Francis Eddú Llumiquinga. THE IVY is produced by Botón Films (Ecuador), BHD Films (Mexico), Ciné-Sud Promotion (France) and Guspira Films (Spain).

Supported by Ministry of Culture and Heritage, ICCA; Secretariat of Culture, Municipality of Quito; Ibermedia Program; EFICINE; CNC, Aide aux Cinémas du Monde; Institut Français, ICEC; Cinéma en Construction, Cinélatino.
THE IVY won the Special Ciné+ Prize and the CCAS Prize at Cinélatino Toulouse Films in Progress 2025.

World sales are handled by Bendita Film Sales.

Domestic release: tba

Production Company:
Botón Films
botonfilms@gmail.com
http://botonfilms.com

World Sales:
Bendita Film Sales
sales@btafilms.com
www.btafilms.com

 

98 min. / Ecuador, Mexico, France, Spain 2025 / feature

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