Bitter Gold

Bitter Gold
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJuan Francisco Olea
Written byAgustín Toscano
Francisco Hervé
Malu Furche
Moisés Sepúlveda
Nicolás Wellmann
Produced byArturo Pereyra
Cristóbal Zapata
Daniela Raviola
Felipe Egaña
Francisco Hervé
Juan Bernardo González
Moisés Sepúlveda
Tom Schreiber
Virginia Bogliolo
StarringFrancisco Melo
Kat Sánchez
CinematographySergio Armstrong
Edited byMaría José Salazar
Sebastián Brahm
Valeria Hernández
Music bySofía Scheps
Production
company
Juntos Films
Distributed byCinecolor Films (Chile)
Release dates
  • October 13, 2024 (2024-10-13) (WFF)
  • May 8, 2025 (2025-05-08) (Chile)
Running time
83 minutes
CountriesChile
Germany
Mexico
Uruguay
LanguageSpanish

Bitter Gold (Spanish: Oro amargo) is a 2024 neo-Western thriller drama film directed by Juan Francisco Olea. The film stars Francisco Melo and Katalina Sánchez as a gold miner and his teenage daughter who defend an illegal gold mine from other miners who want to steal from them. It is a co-production between Chile, Germany, Mexico and Uruguay.

Synopsis

Carola lives in the Atacama Desert with her father, Pacífico, operating a copper mine, although they hide a secret: a vein of gold. After a violent confrontation with an intruding miner, Pacífico is injured. Carola takes his place in the mine, defying her own youth and the hostility of the other miners to achieve her dream of a home by the sea.

Cast

Release

Bitter Gold had its world premiere on October 13, 2024, at the 40th Warsaw Film Festival, then screened on November 24, 2024, at the 55th International Film Festival of India, on January 14, 2025, at the 6th Ñuble National Film Festival, on January 28, 2025, at the 48th Gothenburg Film Festival, on March 23, 2025, at the 34th African, Asian and Latin American Film Festival, and on April 26, 2025, at the Lichter Filmfest Frankfurt International.

The film was commercially released on May 8, 2025, in Chilean theaters by Cinecolor Films.

Accolades

Year Award / Festival Category Recipient Result Ref.
2024 40th Warsaw Film Festival Warsaw Grand Prix Bitter Gold Nominated
Ecumenical Jury Award Won
2025 40th Guadalajara International Film Festival Best Ibero-American Fiction Feature Film Nominated

References

  1. ↑ Reid, Catalina (2024-10-15). ""Oro Amargo": el regreso actoral de Pancho Melo se proyectó en reconocido festival internacional". Radio Concierto Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-04-27.
  2. ↑ Henríquez, Paz (2024-10-15). "Oro Amargo: La nueva película de Pancho Melo que representó a Chile en festival internacional". Rock&Pop (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-04-27.
  3. ↑ "Francisco Melo y Kat Sánchez protagonizan "Oro Amargo": Un thriller de suspenso en el desierto de Atacama". CNN Chile. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
  4. ↑ "Oro Amargo - Estreno 8 de mayo". Te Invito al Cine (in Spanish). 2025-04-05. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
  5. ↑ Rojas, Emilia (2025-01-12). ""Oro Amargo" llega a Chile tras aclamados estrenos internacionales: ¿qué sorpresas traerá al Festival de Cine de Ñuble?". Duplos (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-04-27.
  6. ↑ "Oro amargo". Cinechile (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-04-27.
  7. ↑ Escalona, Bastián (2024-10-15). "Película chilena "Oro Amargo" se luce en el Festival de Cine de Varsovia: ¿Cuándo se estrena?". La Cuarta (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-04-27.
  8. ↑ "Bitter Gold". International Film Festival of India. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
  9. ↑ Henríquez, Paz (2025-01-08). "Pancho Melo estrenará su nueva película Oro Amargo en Festival de Cine Nacional de Ñuble: Fecha y cómo asistir". Rock&Pop (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-04-27.
  10. ↑ "Bitter Gold". Göteborg Film Festival (in Swedish). Retrieved 2025-04-27.
  11. ↑ "Oro amargo". Festival del Cinema Africano, d'Asia e America Latina. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
  12. ↑ "Oro Amargo (Bitter Gold)". Lichter Filmfest Frankfurt International (in German). Retrieved 2025-04-27.
  13. ↑ ""Oro Amargo", protagonizada por Kat Sánchez y Francisco Melo, llega a los cines". Spanglish Cinema (in Spanish). 2025-03-18. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
  14. ↑ "Nagrody 40 Warszawskiego Międzynarodowego Festiwalu Filmowego". Warsaw Film Festival. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
  15. ↑ Gallegos, Ricardo (May 9, 2025). "Festival Internacional de Cine de Guadalajara 2025: Películas, sedes, invitados y más (FICG)". La Estatuilla (in Spanish). Retrieved May 16, 2025.
  16. ↑ Rodríguez, Andrés (15 June 2025). "El documental 'Llamarse Olimpia', galardonado con el Premio Mezcal a mejor película en el Festival de Cine en Guadalajara". El País.