GOAT GIRL: ANA ASENSIO’S NEW FILM ABOUT THE SELF-DETERMINATION OF A LITTLE GIRL

On tonight’s show, we’ll be joined by Ana Asensio to discuss Goat Girl, her new coming-of-age film, set in 1988 Madrid, about an eight-year-old girl Elena, as she prepares for her First Communion, wrestles with the loss of her grandmother, and engages in a friendship with Serezade, a gypsy girl always accompanied by Lola, a goat. More than a portrait of childhood, or of a specific time and place, the story of Goat Girl bridges realism and fantasy, comedy and drama, and renders the dark and mysterious facets of life through a young girl’s eyes, touching on themes of classism, racism, religion and loss with great delicacy and charm.

Ana Asensio is a screenwriter, director, producer, independent filmmaker and actress. She is based in New York, but born, educated and with early training as an actress in Spain. Working between Europe and the United States, Asensio developed a distinctive artistic voice characterized by emotionally resonant storytelling, complex female protagonists, and a deep interest in themes of identity, belonging, and social exclusion.

She made her directorial debut in film in 2017 with the feature Most Beautiful Island, a psychological thriller which she wrote, directed, produced, and starred in. The film premiered at the SXSW Film Festival, where it won the prestigious Grand Jury Prize for its gripping portrayal of an undocumented immigrant struggling to survive in New York City. Even before securing international distribution, the film was nominated for the John Cassavetes Award at the Independent Spirit Awards and screened at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Over the years, Most Beautiful Island has continued to gain recognition. The New York Times selected it for its list of “Movies We Love” from the past twenty-five years, while Vulture included it among the horror films that helped shape the genre. Rotten Tomatoes named it one of the 100 best horror films of the 2010s.

Goat Girl (La Nina de la Cabra) is Asensio’s second feature film. It premiered at the Malaga Film Festival and quickly began collecting awards on the international festival circuit, as well as a nomination for Best European Children’s Film. Asensio is a member of Lincoln Center’s Artist Academy and an alumna of the Sundance Institute, and Goat Girl has established her as one of the most distinctive emerging voices in contemporary Spanish cinema.

Hosted by Janet Coleman and David Dozer