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Margaret Atwood Salutes Argentina’s Oscar Pick ‘Belén,’ Cites Abortion-Rights Risks

The Canadian novelist framed the film’s real-case story as a caution for the United States after the 2022 Dobbs ruling.

Overview

  • Belén, directed by Dolores Fonzi, was selected by the Academia de Cine de la Argentina as the country’s submission for the OscarsBest International Feature race.
  • Atwood congratulated the film on X and summarized its focus on a patient treated for a hemorrhage who was later convicted of abortion before the sentence was overturned.
  • Her message questioned whether similar outcomes could face women in the United States following the loss of federal abortion protections in 2022.
  • Fonzi publicly thanked Atwood with green hearts, referencing the symbol of Argentina’s abortion-rights movement.
  • The film adapts Ana Correa’s book Somos Belén, features a screenplay by Laura Paredes, stars Camila Plaate, and revisits a case that became emblematic in the campaign leading to Argentina’s 2020 legalization.