Sin muertos no hay carnaval picked to represent Ecuador at next year’s Oscars

Sebastian Cordero’s movie “Sin muertos no hay carnaval” has been picked by Ecuador’s Academy of Motion Picture Arts to represent the country at next year’s U.S. Oscar competition. It will compete in the “best foreign film” category.

The movie tells the story of the Monte Sinai neighborhood in Guayaquil, where impoverish squatters built a community that was eventually torn down by the government.

Cordero has directed award-winning films in Hollywood, Spain and Ecuador. His film “Rabia” was selected as the best feature film of 2010 at the Spanish Film Festival, while “Ratas, ratones y rateros”, about a personal journey of discovery from Quito to Cuenca”, took top honors at festivals in Trieste and Buenos Aires. His English-language space thriller “Europa Report” also won international acclaim.

Other Cordero films include “Crónicas” (2004) and “Pescador” (2012). Over the years, his work has competed in such film festivals as Cannes, Sundance, San Sebastian, Buenos Aires, and Havana, among others.