short film – 14′ – 2024
Olivia, a young woman living abroad, returns to her hometown in Mexico in the hope of reconnecting with her past. But the violence she witnessed as a child has not abated, and the journey rekindles memories that are impossible to reconcile with.
Natalia León
Natalia León
Xbo films
digital 2D
Natalia León was born in Mexico City in 1997. She left Mexico at the age of 17 to study at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, where she specialised in animation. Passionate about writing and storytelling, she decided to complete her training at The School of Visual Arts in New York, where she studied screenwriting and directing. In 2021, during her final year at ENSAD, she wrote and developed the project Como si la tierra se las hubiera tragado, her first short film, produced by Xbo films.

Jury Award at Sundance 2025 (USA)
Best short film award from the Student Jury at Terraviva 2025 (Italy)
Mention honorable – Animation award(s) at FESAALP – Festival de Cine Latinoamericano de La Plata 2025 (Argentina)
All Aboard Award at Cinanima 2025 (Portugal)
Special mention for Best Animated Creation at the Villeurbanne Short Film Festival 2025 (France)
The Best Short Film Award at Cinema South Festival 2025 (Israel)
Honorable mention for Best short film at the Philadelphia Film Festival 2025 (USA)
Audience Award at Spektrum – Świdnicki Festiwal Filmowy 2025 (Poland)
Best Animation award at LA Shorts International Film Festival 2025 (USA)
Best Shortfilm Award at Anim sur le Lac 2025 (Canada)
Audience Award at Curtas Vila Do Conde 2025 (Portugal)
Special Jury Mention at Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival 2025 (USA)
Best musical creation Grand Prix at Music & Cinéma 2025 (France)
Award for Best Animated Short at Sonoma International Film Festival 2025 (USA)
Best animation Award at Solange Film Festiva 2025 (USA)
Best Narrative Short Award at Portland Panorama 2025 (USA)
Best International Animated Short Award at Golden Ger International Film Festival 2025 (Mongolia)

Traversées – Festival de Cinéma du Pays de Lunel 2026 (France) / Animocje 2026 (Poland) / Animac 2026 (Spain) / Trois Jours Trop Courts 2026 (France) / Tricky Women Tricky Realities 2026 (Austria) / Short. Sweet. Film Fest. 2026 (USA) / Imaxinaria 2026 (Spain) / Lat Cinema Fest 2026 (Spain) / MONSTRA – Festival de Animação de Lisboa 2026 (Portugal) / NorCal Short Film Festival 2026 (USA) / Internationale Kurzfilmwoche Regensburg 2026 (Germany) / McMinnville Short Film Festival 2026 (USA) / Muestra de Cine Internacional de Palencia 2026 (Spain) / Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival 2026 (USA) / Kinolatino 2026 (Belgium) / Festival du Film Positif 2026 (France) / Ciné Court Animé 2026 (France) / MUSOC – Muestra de cine social y derechos humanos de Asturies 2026 (Spain) / Minimalen Short Film Festival 2026 (Norway) / FICUNAM – Festival Internacional de Cine de la UNAM 2025 (Mexico) / Sevil International Women’s Documentary Film Festival 2025 (Azerbaijan) / Festival Reflets du cinéma 2025 (France) / Living Things International Arts Festival 2025 (Canada) / CutOut Fest – International Animation and Digital Art Festival 2025 (Mexico) / Bucharest Short Film Festival 2025 (Romania) / Animateka 2025 (Slovenia) / Ibero-American Film Festival Miami 2025 (USA) / Carrefour de l’animation 2025 (France) / Plum! – Festival Internacional de Cine de Animación 2025 (Argentine) / Festival du court-métrage d’Auch 2025 (France) / FESAALP – Festival de Cine Latinoamericano de La Plata 2025 (Argentina) / Sulmona International Film Festival 2025 (Italy) / Les Enfants terribles – Festival des premiers films européens 2025 (Belgium) / PÖFF (Pimedate Ööde Filmifestival) – Black Nights Film Festival 2025 (Estonia) / Reggio Film Festival 2025 (Italy) / Terraviva Film Festival 2025 (Italy) / Cinémed 2025 (France) / Philadelphia Film Festival 2025 (USA) / On court à la Baleine 2025 (France) / Feratum – Festival Internacional de Cine Fantástico 2025 (Mexico) / La Toile des Palmistes 2025 (Guyana) / Bit Bang 2025 (Argentina) / TAF – Thessaloniki Animation Festival 2025 (Greece) / St. Louis International Film Festival 2025 ( (USA) / Virginia Film Festival 2025 (USA) / Denver Film Festival 2025 (USA) / Interfilm 2025 (Germany) / Feinaki Beijing Animation Week 2025 (China) / Festival du Film Court de Villeurbanne 2025 (France) /Les Nuits Magiques 2025 (France) / Les 12 courts de Minuit 2025 (France) / Animation is Film 2025 (USA) / Encounters Film Festival 2025 (England) / TAFFF – The American French Film Festival 2025 (USA) / New Hampshire Film Festival 2025 (England) / FICM – Festival Internacional de Cine de Morelia 2025 (Mexico) / Spektrum – Świdnicki Festiwal Filmowy 2025 (Poland) / Du grain à démoudre 2025 (France) / Adelaide Film Festival 2025 (Australia) / CinéOpen 2025 (France) / The Smalls Film Festival 2025 (England) / Durham Region International Film Festival 2025 (Canada) / Pixelatl 2025 (Mexico) / Festival du Film de Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux 2025 (France) / Cinanima 2025 (Portugal) / DC Shorts International Film Festival 2025 (USA) / Court c’est Court ! 2025 (France) / Shorts México 2025 (Mexico) / Festival du film d’animation pour la jeunesse de Bourg-en-Bresse 2025 (France) / Festival Internacional de Curtas de Verín 2025 (Spain) /International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala 2025 (India) / Aegean Film Festival 2025 (Greece) / FCVQ – Festival de Cinéma de la Ville de Québec 2025 (Canada) / Indie Street Film Festival 2025 (USA) / Countryside Animafest 2025 (Cyprus) / Vashon Island Film Festival 2025 (USA) / LA Shorts International Film Festival 2025 (USA) / HollyShorts 2025 (USA) / Anim sur le Lac 2025 (Canada) / Le festival du cinéma français d’Aix-les-Bains 2025 (France) / Cinema South Festival 2025 (Israel) / Imaginaria 2025 (Italy) / Palm Springs International Film Festival 2025 (USA) / GIFF – Guanajuato International Film Festival 2025 (Mexico) / ShortFest – Palm Springs International Film Festival 2025 (USA) / Golden Ger International Film Festival 2025 (Mongolia) / Krakow Film Festival 2025 (Poland) / Fenêtres sur courts 2025 (France) / Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival 2025 (USA) / Psarokokalo Athens International Short Film Festival 2025 (Greece) / 24Frame – Future Film Festival 2025 (Italy) / Solange Film Festiva 2025 (USA) / Animafest Zagreb – World Festival of Animated Film 2025 (Croatia) / Hot Docs – Canadian International Documentary Festival 2025 (Canada) / Curtas Vila Do Conde 2025 (Portugal) / Go Short – International Short Film Festival Nijmegen 2025 (Netherlands) / Portland Panorama 2025 (USA) / Animation Dingle 2025 (Ireland) / Aspen Film’s Shortsfest 2025 (USA) / FICG – Festival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara 2025 (Mexico) / Music & Cinéma 2025 (France) / Sonoma International Film Festival 2025 (USA) / Movies that Matter Festival 2025 (Netherlands) / Cinelatino 2025 (France) / Anima 2025 (Belgium) / Festival du court métrage de Clermont-Ferrand 2025 (France) / Sundance 2025 (USA)
With support of CNC, Pictanovo - Région Haut-de-France, Région Occitanie and Toulouse Métropole, Sacem, Procirep-Angoa. With the participation of Arte France