Originally screened at HOME as part of ¡Viva! Spanish & Latin American Festival 2020, Song Without A Name is now available to watch online. When you watch this film at home, a percentage of your rental fee goes towards supporting HOME. Click below to stream now via Sovereign Film Distribution.
Peru, 1988. The communist insurgent group Shining Path continues to terrify the country with guerrilla warfare, prompting a brutal state response. An impoverished Quechua woman named Geo is expecting her first child, and responds to an ad for free natal care. When her newborn baby is stolen, and the authorities seem indifferent to her plight, a shy young journalist takes on Geo’s case. Where Geo faces racial discrimination, journalist Pedro risks homophobic persecution, and thus institutional corruption and the persecution of minorities become a common thread.
Beautifully shot, the dreamlike atmosphere is dark and tragic throughout, and perfectly complemented by a soundtrack that includes both traditional Peruvian music and original compositions from Philip Glass’ Peruvian protégée Pauchi Sasaki.
Melina León is a Peruvian director based in Lima and New York. An MFA film graduate of Columbia University, her short film El Paraíso de Lili (Lili’s Paradise) premiered at the New York Film Festival and won 11 awards at over 20 international festivals, including Best Latin American Film at the Sao Paulo International Short Film Festival. Her debut feature, Canción sin nombre, is inspired by a true account of child trafficking originally reported by journalist Ismael León, her father.