La Civil tells the story of Cielo, a mother in search of her daughter, abducted by a criminal gang in Northern Mexico. As the authorities fail to offer support in the search, Cielo takes matters into her own hands. Cielo begins her own investigation and earns the trust and sympathy of Lamarque, an unconventional army Lieutenant working in the region. He agrees to help Cielo in her search, because her research data could be useful to his operations as well. Cielo’s collaboration with Lamarque pulls her further into a vicious cycle of violence. The film focuses on Cielo’s emotional rollercoaster, as she is drawn into increasingly intense and dangerous circumstances. The camera stays close, we never lose sight of her as she gradually transforms from housewife into avenging activist. As events unfold, Cielo gets closer to the truth: discovering a mass grave, obtaining official DNA analyses, confronting one of the presumed kidnappers, but corruption and apathy keep her from finding resolution. Until the end finally comes, unpredictable and uninvited… The story was inspired by true events.

Teodora Ana Mihai was born in Bucharest, Romania, under Ceausescu’s regime. In 1989 she came to Belgium and was reunited with her parents, who had fled the year before. After directing the award-winning documentary Waiting for August which was nominated for the European Film Awards in 2014, Teodora became a member of the European Film Academy. Her films take on the challenge of striking a balance between social relevance and audio-visual poetry.

World Cinema

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