Prime Video Goes After the Oscar For Best International Feature With Argentinian Masterpiece 'Belén' - INTERVIEW

Once again, Amazon MGM Studios is in the pursuit of the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, an effort that is as much about cultural representation as it is about cinematic excellence. This year, the focus of the foreign film Oscar campaign is squarely on Argentina's submission, Belén, a searing historical legal drama at the center of Prime Video's highly strategic investment in high-impact Latin American production.

At the heart of this campaign, navigating the treacherous waters of the Hollywood awards circuit, is Javiera Balmaceda, Head of Local Originals, Latin America, CA & AU at Amazon Studios. Fresh off the success of the 2023 nominee Argentina, 1985, Balmaceda is the central conductor orchestrating a high-stakes, globally focused campaign that contrasts sharply with the struggles of Latin American filmmakers just decades ago.

Directed by and starring Argentine filmmaker Dolores Fonzi, Belén tells the unflinching, true-life story of Julieta (identified as Belén in the book), a young woman who was falsely imprisoned in 2014 in Tucumán, Argentina, after suffering a miscarriage and being accused of infanticide. The film chronicles the quest for justice led by the fearless lawyer Soledad Deza as they face a corrupt, classist, and patriarchal legal system.

For Balmaceda, the choice to back Belén is a deeply felt, strategic alignment with passion. In a recent interview, she emphasized that the projects Prime Video greenlights must stem from the genuine "pasión" (passion) and "desire to tell the story" of the original writer or director. "

We are very careful about which project we greenlight," she stated. "I believe it always comes down to the passion of the writer or the director... who has that desire to tell that story. And I believe that is what transcends. It's truly a passion, a genuine desire to tell the story... The motivation is the desire to create the story versus the desire to earn a lot of money."

Belén is the perfect example of this philosophy: a story that is "very niche. Specific to a poor woman's fight in Tucumán, but instantly universal. Balmaceda explained the dichotomy: "I believe what is niche is the fight for justice by a poor woman in Tucumán, but what makes it universal is what Belén went through."

The film's focus on bodily autonomy and reproductive rights has resonated intensely in the current global climate, turning the film into a timely international human rights document. Balmaceda emphasized the film's urgency, noting that globally, "We are increasingly in danger of losing our autonomy of health and body... It is a very powerful film and I believe it is a very important topic for the current moment, and I believe that is what is resonating."

Following a recent screening, the film's effect was immediate, she noted: "The next day everyone was writing to me, first thanking me for the film, and second, thanking me for the conversation it opened up with their daughters."

Building on the Argentina, 1985 Blueprint

The groundwork for the Belén push was laid by the previous campaign for Argentina, 1985, an Amazon Original film that won the Golden Globe and secured an Oscar nomination for Best International Film in 2023. Balmaceda, who was a producer on that film, demonstrated that Amazon had the organizational muscle and financial might to deliver prestige Latin American content to the highest level of recognition.

Belén is a refinement of this blueprint. The film had its theatrical release in Argentina on September 18, 2025, to qualify it for the Oscar. On the festival circuit, it has secured a key early win: the Silver Seashell for Best Supporting Performance for Camila Pláate at the prestigious San Sebastián Film Festival. It has also garnered nominations for the Premios Forqué in Madrid.

The hard work, Balmaceda confirmed, is immense. Describing the director's relentless travel schedule, she remarked, "Poor Dolores [Fonzi, the director/star]. She is living above a plane." When asked if the campaign was as hard as making the film, she agreed: "Almost? I would say yes." This effort is managed by a highly capable Amazon team: "Luckily, within Amazon we have a very capable team. And they know how to manage this."

The pivotal moment is the short list announcement: "The short list [for International Feature] is announced on December 16th and that is what we are working on right now." The film was strategically timed for its global streaming debut on Prime Video on November 14th, which means that it's available now, ensuring Academy members have access just as the critical short list voting windows open.