She's being called the next Yalitza, after another indigenous actress who made her debut in Alfonso Cuaron's Roma, another Spanish language film that became a darling of the international film festival circuit.
But you'll be interested to know that Indira Andrewin's indigenous roots are Belizean.
And that's what she'll be reppin' tomorrow as she steps onto the red carpets of the Venice Film Festival. Cherisse Halsall spoke to the budding actress via zoom about Superstition, sensuality, and the role of a lifetime.
She's a 21-year-old Belizean from Gales Point Manatee but Indira Andrewin has jetted off to Venice where she's nominated for best actress at the City's annual Film Festival.
The Film is called Selva Tragica and it was filmed with the Belizean Jungle as it's backdrop. Still, it's a unique opportunity for a Belizean young woman and we wondered how it all came about?
Cherisse Halsall, reporter
"So that would be the first question, how did you get this part?"
Indira Andrewin, Actress
"The director Yulene Olaizola, she's from Mexico City and she wanted to do something with Belize, she fell in love when she visited Belize and so."
"They were looking for this young creole girl brown skin and who would love to shoot in the jungle and I was like well that's me, i'm creole, I grew up in a creole village and I've always been connected to nature."
"At the time that I found out I was visiting my dad and my mom called me and she's like I just saw this advertisement on facebook, they're looking for this actress and I think you could fit the part and I was just like whoa like I never thought about acting before so it was just so cool when my mom told me about that but that's how I found out and my mom sent in some pictures that I had taken from like my modeling days in the jungle."
Cherisse Halsall:
"A few artists lately have started to mix our mythology in with the stories that they want to tell and I know that this film has that element of Xtabay in it so tell us a little bit about the mythology behind the film."
Indira Andrewin, Actress
"The movie is inspired by the XTabay, Agnes is this Xtabay and she's this creole girl that goes into the jungle with her sister and she's running away from this man that Agnes doesn't want to marry and it's based in the 1920's when the gum industry was huge and booming and Agnes is this young very innocent girl but as she gradually progresses in the movie you see this Xtabay quality come out when she's surrounded by all these men in the jungle and she becomes very seductive and all these mystical things happen in the presence of Agnes who is the Xtabay and you could really see the feminine empowerment in the movie and she uses her femininity to control these men. It's very empowering women and it's just so cool to share with the world."
Cherisse Halsall:
"I know that the mythology of the Xtabay and the way it's described in this film there's really a sexual component to the way she carries herself, what was it like to portray that?"
Indira Andrewin, Actress
"At first I remember in the audition Yulene told me pretend that guy over there is like your gonna seduce him and I'm the Xtabay it was really weird at first so after a little while they were like coaching us and tell us how to really get into character and eventually like I fell in love, I mean it was cool to play somebody who I wouldn't usually be in real life like it was good to step in their shoes and see like just another experience."
Director Yulene Olaizola is known for highlighting indigenous cultures while working in challenging terrain and in this, her fifth film, she's portrayed the Belizean Jungle as it's own singular world embedded with mystical qualities.
Indira Andrewin, Actress
"It's so brave of her to go into the jungle and we had such a huge, huge, task and we were literally in the heart of the jungle and to control so many people behind the scenes, not only her and she's not used to the environment it was just something very brave of her and to get to know somebody else's culture and try to bring it out and show it to the world, it's very inspiring."
Cherisse Halsall:
"Were you the only Belizean actor in the film?"
Indira Andrewin, Actress
"No actually there's a lot of other Belizean actors there's Shanti, there's DIPO from DIPO skit's, there's a few others. But the majority of the time filming I was the only Belizean so it was pretty funny being around all these Spanish speakers."
Cherisse Halsall:
"I know that you're embarking on this adventure to go to the Venice film festival, what have they told you about that experience and what you can expect?"
Indira Andrewin, Actress
"Like I said the Venice film festival is like one of the biggest it's the oldest film festival and so anybody in the music industry it's like a blessing to be there and for me it's the first time going and being a Belizean I'm just so proud to represent Belize and everywhere we go we represent Belize and yeah just to be at the Venice Film festival is a big big deal so i'm super grateful for this experience."
Cherisse Halsall:
"And in an even bigger deal we heard whispers that you'd been nominated for a certain award at the film festival?"
Indira Andrewin, Actress
"So all the actors the main actors they get nominated for the best actress in that section."
And so while she is one among many in that field, for us she's one of the very first.
Selva Tragica which translates to Tragic Jungle has also been selected for showings at Film festivals in Hamburg, San Sebastian, and New York.
