THE GARDEN WE DREAMED
by Joaquín del Paso
Mexico, 2026, 102'
In a land not their own, amid a fading forest, a family carves out a fragile bubble of tenderness - a fleeting garden of hope where love can still take root
Esther and Junior, a Haitian couple, undertake a journey to the northern part of the American continent with Esther’s two daughters, Flor and Aisha, in pursuit of a better future. In central Mexico, they settle in a remote forest where illegal logging shapes both the lives of its inhabitants and the fragile forest that shelters them. As Junior grapples with the weight of his past and the family searches for their place in this unfamiliar environment, Esther becomes their anchor, cultivating moments of peace and care even as the world around them begins to fracture. Surrounded by Monarch butterflies migrating across the same landscapes, the family discovers in the forest a fleeting yet powerful space of love, and resilience.
Festivals
World Premiere: Berlin IFF 2026 - Panorama
Cast & Crew
With: Nehemie Bastien, Faustin Pierre, Kimaëlle Holly Preville, Rut Aicha Pierre Nelson, Carlos Esquivel
Production company: Amondo Cine & Cárcava Cine
In association with: Península Films & Entertainment, Atómica, Producciones Espiral, Alebrije Producciones, Sula Entertainment, Stellium
Producer: Joaquín del Paso, Fernanda de la Peza, Itzel Sierra, Eduardo Díaz Casanova
Coproducers: Xavier López Miranda, Mónica Lozano, Diego Sánchez, Mao Padilla, Alejandro Sugich
Executive Producers: Eréndira Núñez Larios, Daniela Maung, Beatriz Elena Herrera Bours, Gerardo Martínez Ruiz, Francisco Javier Padilla González, Noah Meisner, Eduardo Lecuona, Javier Sepúlveda, Rodolfo Castillo Walker
DOP Gökhan Tiryaki is a renowned Turkish cinematographer known for his collaborations with Nuri Bilge Ceylan on Winter Sleep and Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
Joaquín del Paso
Born in Mexico City in 1986, Joaquín del Paso is a Mexican filmmaker known for incisive portraits of social hierarchies. Trained at EICTV in Cuba and the Polish National Film School in Łódź, he debuted with Maquinaria Panamericana / Panamerican Machinery (Berlinale 2016), winner of the Ariel for Best Original Screenplay. His second feature, El hoyo en la cerca / The Hole in the Fence (Venice 2021), won the Bisato d’Oro and Best Feature at Cairo. He also produced Robe of Gems (Silver Bear 2022) and Locarno winners Love Dog and Sermon to the Fish.
