In an exclusive interview with Deadline, the producers of the visceral and cinematic film Cielo shared their unique experience of shooting in Bolivia, a location rarely featured in international productions. John Dunton-Downer, Alexa Waugh, and Bettina Kadoorie sat down to discuss the challenges and opportunities they encountered while filming across 30 days in some of Bolivia’s most treacherous terrains.
The UK project, directed by Alberto Sciamma, follows eight-year-old Santa from the desolate Bolivian Altiplano who embarks on a journey to take her mother from misery into paradise. The producers hope Cielo will inspire other foreign productions to take advantage of Bolivia’s natural beauty, which recently premiered at SXSW London to packed screenings. The film stars Fernanda Gutierrez Aranda, Fernando Arze Echalar, Sasha Salaverry, and other talented actors in a story that showcases the country’s extraordinary landscapes.
How Cielo Began
The seeds for Cielo were planted when longtime friends Alberto Sciamma and John Dunton-Downer discussed creating a film in Bolivia. “Alberto and I have been friends for 20 years, and we had talked about various projects over the years,” explained Dunton-Downer. “We initially wanted to make a Western there because we thought it would be the perfect place for a horse drama as it has such a huge, wild frontier.”
Sciamma’s vivid imagination sparked the project with striking images: a girl with a bar across her shoulders carrying barrels and a girl swallowing a fish. These powerful visuals eventually evolved into the full narrative of Cielo. And for producer Bettina Kadoorie, who joined the project later, the script offered something refreshingly original.
“I had never read anything like that in my life. At no point while I was reading it could I imagine what was going to happen next,” she shared with Deadline. “I read the script about six months after my mother passed away, and I was so moved by Alberto’s vision, and I was so moved by this little girl dragging this barrel across these vast locations.”
Challenges of Filming in Bolivia
Setting up a production in Bolivia presented challenges for the UK-based team. “We worked with a local company that was incredible, and the crew were incredible,” Waugh told Deadline. “The main challenge was the language barrier but also the fact that it’s not a full-time filming world there. A lot of the crew had other jobs that weren’t in film full-time. But they were all amazing. I was staggered by how brilliant they were.”
The producers hope Cielo will help establish Bolivia as a viable filming location for international productions. “We’re hoping that by giving them some hand holding through the process of how it all works, that they might consider it because it does seem to those of us – with all of these compliments you’re hearing about Bolivia – that this could be a huge opportunity for them,” noted Dunton-Downer.
He added that the film showcases the natural beauty of the country and its characters, potentially opening doors for future productions to explore this underutilized filming destination.
