You are listening to The Next Best Picture Podcast, and this is Dan Baer's interview with the director and writer for Totem, Lila Aviles.

Welcome everyone to the next best picture podcast where we are talking with Lila Aviles, the director of the new from Totem.

Lila, thank you so much for joining us today.

Thank you.

I'm very excited to talk to you about this film.

It is so different in tone and texture from your previous film that Chameer Made and both great films.

But I'm wondering what was the genesis of the story for this film about this young girl who is saying goodbye to her very sick father?

Yes, it comes from a really personal story.

Yes, I went through that path with my daughter, no.

And not my daughter, the dad of my daughter.

And yes, it was a long time ago, because now she's adolescent.

But I wanted to do something special.

And, yes, the film, I think, started super near. And what it's beautiful is like

it starts to play and to go in different ways and you start like changing, obviously, playing a lot but the seed is the same so yes

I'm so happy that as you were telling like chamber my do was one thing and this this totem, it's totally differently.

I love that, no, because as a filmmaker, it's not a matter, for me with these two films,

it's not a matter of Lila's style, but more the story and I can change.

You know, it's like for me, that has been so wonderful with this second, not like

to catch to be like the magician of the film,

like you're like guiding the story

and you're like to catch with a common sense,

to catch what the film needs more, no?

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