A FILM BY CELINA ESCHER

Imagine that you are pregnant. You are in your ninth month. You feel an intense pain. You faint. When you wake up you are at the hospital, surrounded by police officers. They accuse you of having killed your own baby. This is the story of Teodora Vásquez, the spokesperson of the Seventeen accused of aggravated homicide because of having an obstetric emergency in El Salvador.

Fly so Far started as a project in 2017 when Salvadorean director Celina Escher visited the 17 women in the Ilopango prison in El Salvador. Since then we have been working to create a film that can contribute to their struggle and take their stories out of prison. As a project, it was selected at Docs for Sale at IDFA 2020 and as the Swedish Film Institute Wildcard for the Pitch session at Nordisk Panorama Forum 2019. It has also been pitched at Tempo Documentary Festival in 2018 and Stockholm Film Festival in 2017, and presented at the Swedish session of EURODOC 2019.

Pråmfilm is a young production company with an international scope. We produce documentaries that raise social questions and aim to challenge current norms. We want to create space for new promising film directors and highlight stories that explore the world from new perspectives. Our productions include The Antifascists (2017) by Patrik Öberg, which was shown in over 50 countries; and All We Own (2019) by Emily Norling, which won the Swedish Academy Award for Newcomer of the Year and competed for the Nordic:Dox Award at CPH:DOX in 2019. Our most recent productions are Hackitat (2020) by Alex Veitch and Kristoffer Kronander and Fly So Far (2021) by Celina Escher.

Tempo Documentary Festival, March 2021

Seattle International Film Festival, March 2021

Movies that Matter Festival, April 2021

Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, April 2021

One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, May 2021

DOXA Documentary Film Festival, May 2021

Biografilm Festival, June 2021

Costa Rica International Film Festival, June 2021

Doc Cévennes Film Festival, July 2021

rePRO Film Fest, USA, August 2021

AFI Latin American Film Festival, USA, September 2021

Berlin Human Rights Film Festival, Germany, September 2021

Nordisk Panorama, Sweden, September 2021

Panoramica Stockholms Latinamerikanska Filmfestival, September 2021

Ícaro International Film Festival, El Salvador, September 2021

Millenium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival, September 2021

Guadalajara International Film Festival, Mexico, October 2021

Innsbruck International Film Festival, Austria, October 2021

DocsMx, Mexico, October 2021

Festival des Libertés, Belgium, October 2021

Globale Mittelhessen – Film Festival for Global Justice, Germany, October 2021

Terre de Femmes – Women’s Worlds Film Festival, Germany, October 2021

Tenemos que Ver Festival Internacional de Cine y Derechos Humanos de Uruguay, November 2021

MOVE IT! Dresden Human Rights Filmfestival, Germany, November 2021

Upcoming screenings

Guelph Film Festival, Canada, November 2021

Filmar en América Latina, Switzerland, November 2021

El Sueño de Alicia, IV Muestra de Cine Creada por Mujeres, Honduras, November 2021

Equis Feminist Film Festival, Ecuador, November 2021

Pantalla Latina – Latin American Film Festival St. Gallen, Switzerland, November 2021

Ícaro International Film Festival, Guatemala, December 2021

Ibero-American Cinema Competition Grand Jury Award, Seattle International Film Festival 2021

Activist Award, Movies that Matter Festival 2021

Regional Award, One World Human Rights International Film Festival Czech Republic, 2021

Special Mention, The Václav Javel Jury Award, One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Czech Republic, 2021

Best Film Award, One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival Brussels, 2021

Central American Film Competition Best Film Award, Costa Rica International Film Festival, 2021

Honourable Mention, New Nordic Voice Award, Nordisk Panorama Film Festival, 2021

FEISAL Award, Guadalajara International Film Festival 2021

Honourable Mention Jury Award, Festival des Libertés 2021

Salvador Allende Award, Festival des Libertés 2021

Centre D’action Laïque Award, Festival des Libertés 2021

Best Film Award, Tenemos que ver – Festival Internacional de Cine y Derechos Humanos de Uruguay 2021

Teodora and the 17+

Teodora Vásquez was in the ninth month of her pregnancy in 2007 when she fainted and had a stillbirth while working. When she woke up at the hospital, she was accused of aggravated murder and sentenced to 30 years of prison. Teodora became the spokesperson of the women facing the same charges as her.