Abstract

In recent years, Latin American films directed by women have increased both in number and in their global reach. In 2021, two films directed by Latin American women were released at major film festivals: Tatiana Huezo's Prayers for the Stolen (2021, Mexico), which was shown at Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival, and Claudia Huaiquimilla's My Brothers Dream Awake (2021, Chile), had its premiere at the Locarno Film Festival. Both films share the fact that they are directed by Latina women with indigenous heritage. Moreover, both Prayers for the Stolen and My Brothers Dream Awake have relevant elements in common: both portray the current violence in their countries and use fire as a narrative and aesthetic element. Fire distances itself from its destructive and overpowering context to become a purifying and expiatory element, where the stories and the characters are condemned and saved simultaneously by their relationship with the fire. This text seeks to relate the meaning of fire to the violence portrayed in both films, either as a destructive or purifying element. This understanding can also be linked to the indigenous roots of both directors, where the relationship of native peoples with fire is different from contemporary society.