Selva (13) lives in a Caribbean coastal town. As she grows up, she tries to keep her family together, but this proves to be harder every day. It seems her father will never come back; Elena, her only motherly figure, disappears at the town festivities; and her grandfather obsesses over his imaginary goats as he lets himself die.

Between imaginary landscapes and mysterious shadows, Selva debates whether to help her grandfather achieve his death wish, even though this means going alone through her last moments of childhood.

Premiering as part of the Critics’ Week at Cannes, “Land of Ashes” (“Ceniza Negra”) is a touching, personal drama about a young woman and her older guardians as they deal with the hardships that come with losing people. And in honor of the film’s upcoming premiere, we are thrilled to present an exclusive look at the trailer for the film, which is sure to capture many people’s attention this year.

The film stars Smachleen Gutiérrez, Humberto Samuels, and Hortensia Smith. “Land of Ashes” is written and directed by Sofía Quirós, making her feature film debut with the festival drama.

“Land of Ashes” premieres as part of Critics’ Week at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

While the likes of Quentin Tarantino, Terrence Malick, Luca Guadagnino, and Jim Jarmusch (among many others) might grab all the headlines heading into the Cannes Film Festival, each year unknown films by young filmmakers always seem to be among the best of the lot. And even though this year’s prestigious film event is chock full of huge A-list filmmakers, you shouldn’t look past some of the smaller, more under-the-radar releases, such as “Land of Ashes.”