2026 WINNER – BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
When the world is crumbling, where to find hope? THE EMBRACE follows 50-year-old Argentine tango teacher Carolina Pirotta as her precariously-built world is upended by the election of a right wing populist. Offering an intimate lens on a life lived amid economic turmoil, this film dives into a world of tango that challenges tradition – examining issues of power, resistance and resilience in the process. Through tracing Carolina’s steps, it also takes the audience on a poetic journey from the neon-drenched dancehalls and protest-packed streets of Buenos Aires to the sunset-bathed mountains of Patagonia.
About the Director
John Owens is a British freelance film-maker and multimedia journalist who works with video, photography and words. John has worked on documentaries that have appeared in the BBC and Netflix, as well as filming and producing numerous short films for both international media and NGOs covering issues of human rights and migration across the globe. THE EMBRACE is his first short documentary. After living in Argentina John moved to Brooklyn, where he now lives.
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