
A Chile-Venezuela
co-production
The myth of María Lionza, a deity of the Venezuelan jungle, merges with the experience of a migrant filmmaker yearning for her lost Goddess. Over two decades of filming, the movie reveals the facets of the fracture of the iconic Goddess statue amid a Caracas marked by acute political and social division.
Different eras come together to speak of a rupture that is not just that of a statue. It is the story of Venezuela and every Venezuelan who feels divided in a war that never belonged to them. It is also the wound of those who live in the no place of a migrant life.


For years, guided by intuition and by the need to give voice to María Lionza, the Goddess of Venezuela, I began to document the debacle of her iconic statue. The incipient cracks that afflicted her, her rupture, her double becoming.
On the one hand, the Broken Goddess was sheltered at the Central University of Venezuela. On the other, the Mayor's Office of Caracas installed a replica in the same place that the original piece was.
After comings and goings, I concluded that telling her story was the excuse to understand my own wound, the rupture that inhabiting the non-place of a migrant life implies.
María Lionza gave me the strength to tell this story that is not only mine, it is also the story of my country and of every Venezuelan who feels divided, in the middle of a war that never belonged to her.

Making off, Tras cámaras, La Diosa Quebrada, The Broken Goddess, XimenaFilms, Claqueta

Making off, Tras cámaras, La Diosa Quebrada, The Broken Goddess, XimenaFilms, Caracas, Venezuela, Panorámica

La Diosa Quebrada, The Broken Goddess, XimenaFilms, Ximena Pereira, Villa Frei

Making off, Tras cámaras, La Diosa Quebrada, The Broken Goddess, XimenaFilms, Claqueta
Deep in Venezuela lives the goddess María Lionza, capable of giving light and strength to whom ask for it.
"I promised to do this film to María Lionza if she gave me the strength every time I was in fear. Through an intimate dialogue between the deity and her devotees, this documentary is a personal offering and a way to give some sense to the statue's fracture in 2004, at a time of Venezuela's political upheaval. Now 19 years later, I look for putting this in perspective, this powerful mother figure of the people's religiosity of Venezuela."
Ximena Pereira

The Team

Chiledoc
In 2014, the project received advisory from Wendy Levy, through the Sundance program for documentary film from Chiledoc.

Femcine
“The Broken Goddess” wins Best Project 2016 at the DocLab Observatory at Femcine
Labex 5
The project participates in the Labex 5 laboratory in 2015

Conecta
In 2018 "The Broken Goddess" participates in the Connect Regions Workshop with Maite Alberdi

Docmontevideo
In 2018 the project receives advisory from Javier Corcuera and is presented to programmers of international documentary festivals in Docmontevideo Uruguay.

Festivales

27th Malaga Film Festival
Official Selection
Spain - March 2024

25th Hot Docs
Official Selection
Canada- April/May 2024

20 Venezuelan Film Festival
🏆 Best editing
Venezuela - June 2024

17th Istambul
Documentary Days
Official Selection
Türkiye- June 2024

2nd Habitar el Cine
Official Selection
Venezuela - July 2024

12 FIDBA
🏆 SIGNIS Award
in shortfilm
Argentina - October 2024

3 Motriz Planaltina
Festival
Official Selection
Brazil - October 2024

20th Rengo International Film Festival
🏆 Special Mention
Chile - November 2024

Cinélatino
37es Rencontres de
Toulouse
Official Selection
France - March 2025

CCS DOC
Opening film
Venezuela - July 2024

16th Seattle Latino
Film Festival
Official Selection
USA - October 2024

6 El Grito
Fantastic Film Festival
Official Selection
Venezuela - October 2024

15th Macau Short
Film Festival
Official Selection
China - December 2024

XIV Encuentro para
Cinéfagos
🏆 Best Venezuelan film
🏆 Best Production
Venezuela - September 2024

4th Folkestone
Documentary Festival
Official Selection
UK - October 2024

5 Cortos en Grande
Festival
Showcase Focus Venezuela
Chile - November 2024

15th Jaipur International Film Festival
Official Selection
India - January 2025

14 Entre largos y
cortos Festival
Official Selection
Venezuela - September 2024

3 CUMBE Film
Festival
🏆 Special Mention
Venezuela - October 2024

19th Documentary Film Festival IFF Won Together
Official Selection
Rusia - November 2024

SPE Media
Festival
🏆 Best Multicultural Film
USA - March 2025

Technical Specs
Project Title La Diosa Quebrada
English Title: The Broken Goddess
Country of production: Chile/Venezuela
Year of production: March 2024
Length: 21 minute
Genre: Art, politics and society, migration, women's cinema, autobiography.
Final format: Full HD
Shooting format: MDV-HD
Aspect ratio: 16:9
Color: color
Sound: 5.1
Locations: Caracas, Venezuela. Montaña de Sorte, Venezuela. Santiago, Chile
Original language: Spanish
Subtitles: English
