SAD GIRLZ | CHICAS TRISTES

MEXICO, FRANCE, SPAIN | 2026 | COLOR | DCP | 90’ | SPANISH

Two sixteen-year-old swimmers in Mexico are training together for the Pan American Games, whilst summer seduces them. However, an incident at a party ends up creating an invisible yet deep rift in their relationship. Fernanda Tovar’s beautiful and exquisitely paced debut focuses on the moment when a teenage friendship ceases to be a refuge and becomes a battleground of emotional survival. With two revelatory performances and a dazzling cinematography at her disposal, she sees the transition to adulthood as a fluid, almost amphibian drama in which guilt and companionship walk hand in hand on the same razor’s edge. Crystal Bear winner Generation 14 plus at the Berlinale. Thodoris Karamanolis

DIRECTOR: Fernanda Tovar
SCREENWRITER: Fernanda Tovar
DoP: Rosa Hadit Hernández
MUSIC: Wissam Hojeij
EDITOR: José Pablo Escamilla
PRINCIPAL CAST: Rocio Guzmán, Darana Álvarez, Tatsumi Milori, Tomás García Agraz
Mónica del Carmen, Raúl Villegas, Lucio Lemus, Luisa Almaguer, Andrea Camacho
Áyax, Óscar Lever, Mario Flores, Héctor “Toch” Kuri, Daniel Aranzubia

FERNANDA TOVAR
Born in Mexico City, Fernanda Tovar studied directing before she was selected at the 2020 Berlinale Talents in Guadalajara. This is her feature debut.

FILMOGRAPHY
2026 Sad Girlz