Florence Jaugey | Nicaragua, Mexico, Spain, France | 2009 | 91' | Spanish spoken, Ebglish subtitles La Yuma, the first fiction feature to emerge from Nicaragua in 20 years, gives an insight into the life of a young woman with few prospects, but with a very strong will. 18-year-old Yuma’s biggest dream is to become a fantastic boxer. In the ring, she can find a release for the pent-up aggression caused by living in the slums of Managua, her loveless family life and her friends, who are throwing their lives away with petty crime. Her dreams of a boxing career are the only option for Yuma to give a more favourable outcome to her future. Her persistence is repaid when famous boxing teacher Polvorita takes her under his wing.
By chance, she then meets journalism student Ernesto. In spite of their differences, they feel an affinity through their shared desire to find a place for themselves in the world. Love blossoms between them, but also leads to tension: Yuma’s ex-boyfriend gets jealous and threatens to teach Ernesto a lesson. While Yuma is successful in the boxing ring, her private life gets ever more bleak. She realises that it is time to take matters into her own hands. La Yuma won awards for Best Debut Film and Best Actress (Alma Blanco) at the film festival in Guadalajara.
