The multi-award winning animated documentary film Home Is Somewhere Else won the Ariel Award for Best Animated Feature Film at the 65th edition of the awards hosted on September 9, 2023. Directed by acclaimed filmmakers Carlos Hagerman and Jorge Villalobos, the film provides a window into the hearts and minds of ​​immigrant youth and their undocumented families.

The Ariel Awards, the most prestigious recognition for Mexican cinema, are known as the “Mexican Oscars” and have been hosted by the Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (AMACC) since 1964.

The film features three personal stories about immigrant youth to highlight the complexities and challenges they face today. Each story has its own unique visual animation style drawn by three different teams. The animation allows us to truly see and feel these characters’ worst nightmares, alongside their colorful hopes and dreams for a better future.  Voiced by the actual children and their families, the stories are woven together by spoken word poet Jose Eduardo Aguilar or Lalo “El Deportee,” the film’s host and MC whose vibrant “Spanglish” breaks codes, switches standards, and pushes the viewer to decipher his poems.

As renowned filmmaker Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu (and fellow Ariel Award winner for his film Bardo: A False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths) recently said, the film “beautifully and simply depicts the complex reality of millions.”

The Ariel Award follows a successful 12+ week theatrical run in Mexican cinemas and multiple festival awards around the world for the film including Best Youth Film 14+ at IDFA, the world’s largest documentary film festival.

“We are thrilled to have helped produce Home Is Somewhere Else,” said Susan MacLaury, the Executive Director of Shine Global and one of the executive producers of the film. “The gorgeous animation will inspire audiences on both sides of the border, and will help foster empathy for immigrants everywhere.”

For more information about the film and its upcoming screenings, please visit https://www.homeissomewhereelse.com/ and follow the film on social media @homeissomewhereelse

Watch the moment at the Awards Ceremony here:

About Shine Global

Shine Global is a non-profit media company that gives voice to children and their families by telling their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change. We produce inspiring films and compelling content about underserved children. Through tailored distribution and outreach, we connect with our audiences in communities, classrooms, museums, and on Capitol Hill as part of a powerful engagement campaign to encourage social change.

Since its founding in 2005, Shine Global films have won more than 100 major awards, including an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short Subject for Inocente and an Academy Award®-nomination and two Emmys® for War/Dance. Recent films include the documentary-animation hybrid Liyana, the hit documentary The Eagle Huntress, and Through Our Eyes: Homefront which is available on HBOMax.

About Brinca Taller de Animación

Brinca Taller de Animación is a Mexican animation studio that has ten years experience making animated films and series that focus mainly on children and social issues. We strongly believe animation is a powerful language that allows difficult topics to engage with the audience and inspire change. We have worked for agencies like UNICEF, United Nations Development Programme, Mexican Commission for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights, American Jewish World Service, International Federation of Human Rights, among others.  Home Is Somewhere Else is Brinca’s first animated feature . 

The award-winning animated documentary film Home Is Somewhere Else, will have its theatrical premiere in Mexico on May 4. Directed by acclaimed filmmakers Carlos Hagerman and Jorge Villalobos, the film provides a window into the hearts and minds of ​​immigrant youth and their undocumented families.

Home Is Somewhere Else has already been screened at several film festivals around the world, receiving critical acclaim and winning numerous awards. The film features three personal stories about immigrant youth to highlight the complexities and challenges they face today.  Voiced by the actual children and their families, the stories are woven together by spoken word poet Lalo “El Deportee,” the film’s host and MC whose vibrant “Spanglish” breaks codes, switches standards, and pushes the viewer to decipher his poems.

Each story has its own unique visual animation style drawn by three different teams. The animation allows us to truly see and feel these characters’ worst nightmares, alongside their colorful hopes and dreams for a better future.

As renowned filmmaker Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu says, the film “beautifully and simply depicts the complex reality of millions.”

“We are thrilled to have helped produce Home Is Somewhere Else,” said Susan MacLaury, the Executive Director of Shine Global and one of the executive producers of the film. “Mexico and the US share a rich history of immigration, and we hope that this film will resonate with audiences on both sides of the border, to foster empathy for immigrants everywhere.”

For more information about the film and its upcoming screenings, please visit https://www.homeissomewhereelse.com/ and follow the film on social media @homeissomewhereelse

About Shine Global

Shine Global is a non-profit media company that gives voice to children and their families by telling their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change. We produce inspiring films and compelling content about underserved children. Through tailored distribution and outreach, we connect with our audiences in communities, classrooms, museums, and on Capitol Hill as part of a powerful engagement campaign to encourage social change.

Since its founding in 2005, Shine Global films have won more than 100 major awards, including an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short Subject for Inocente and an Academy Award®-nomination and two Emmys® for War/Dance. Recent films include the documentary-animation hybrid Liyana, the hit documentary The Eagle Huntress, and Through Our Eyes: Homefront which is available on HBOMax.

About Brinca Taller de Animación

Brinca Taller de Animación is a Mexican animation studio that has ten years experience making animated films and series that focus mainly on children and social issues. We strongly believe animation is a powerful language that allows difficult topics to engage with the audience and inspire change. We have worked for agencies like UNICEF, United Nations Development Programme, Mexican Commission for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights, American Jewish World Service, International Federation of Human Rights, among others.  Home Is Somewhere Else is Brinca’s first animated feature .