UC student hopes to earn first Ecuadorian Oscar nomination

By Bryn Dippold 

When University of Cincinnati doctoral student Dani Granja started work on the script for the film "Sumergible," she was one of two people teaching screenwriting in Ecuador. Alfredo León León, director and co-writer, approached her with the script, hoping Granja could breathe some life into the text.

Eight years later, "Sumergible" is Ecuador’s official submission to the 2022 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Film. Only 10 Ecuadorian films have been submitted for an Oscar nomination and none has yet earned a nomination. 

"Sumergible" follows the crew of a narcotics submarine as they transport their expensive cargo from Colombia to California and fight for survival. A thriller with the tagline ‘Entre es la parte facile’ (getting in is the easy part), the filmmakers hope it will be the first Ecuadorian film nominated for Best Foreign Film.

“When our son turned 2, I didn’t have a lot of jobs going on,” Granja says. “It was harder for me to get writing jobs because I wasn’t there in Ecuador. Getting a writing job in the United States is impossible, especially for a foreigner.” 

Granja decided to enroll at UC, beginning a master's program in Spanish. She is now entering her second-year as a doctoral student with a concentration in Spanish literature.

“Something that I really like about our department is that we can write a creative writing project as a thesis instead of a foundational, academic dissertation,” Granja says.

Mauricio Espinoza, assistant professor of film and media, says Granja’s enthusiasm for opportunities available through UC became evident early.

“Before Dani joined our program, she came to volunteer with our Film and Media Studies program,” Espinoza says. “She was also organizing a Latin American film series at the Esquire. I could tell from the beginning that she was very eager to do things related to film and make connections with the university.”

Now Granja is working on two film scripts for American audiences. She recently was invited to present one of the scripts at the Sundance Film Festival. Though it’s in its first draft, Granja knows this is a unique opportunity.

“We got the invitation. We have to deliver,” Granja says.  

Featured image at top: Cinema entrance. Photo/Myke Simon for Unsplash.