‘La Jaula De Oro’ Sweeps Up 9 Ariel Awards During 56th Annual Mexican Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences Ceremony

“La jaula de oro” (“The Golden Dream”), a 2013 Diego Quemada Díez-directed drama about three Guatemalan teenagers who set off through Mexico toward the United States aboard the cargo trains known collectively as “La Bestia” for the extraordinary dangers faced by migrants who use it, has swept up at Mexico’s Ariel awards. At Tuesday night’s ceremony, the film took home awards for nine of the 14 categories for which it was nominated, including the award for Best Motion Picture, according to Aristegui Noticias.

The teenagers out for a taste of their “American dream” also netted awards for the best actor -- Brandón López, for his star turn as Juan -- as well as for sound, original soundtrack, original screenplay, cinematography, editing, male supporting actor and for best first work. CNN notes that the flood of laudation goes to a film without a single actor who had prior professional experience. The crew missed out on only one big fish: the award for Best Director, which went to Amat Escalante for “Heli” over director Quemada Díez.

In his acceptance speech for Best Motion Picture, Quemada Díez said he was dedicating the award to Mexico and recalled the migrants who suffer the trials of the journey depicted in the film. “Thanks to the academy, the whole team, the producers who believed in the project, in this journey which took me 12 years,” he said. “With this film, we tried to break down the myth of the American dream. Our joy is the sadness of a lot of migrants.”