

Her second novel, González & Daughter Trucking Co. To date, it has received awards in 17 film festivals worldwide, such as the Latin Cinema Award, Sundance Film Festival Best Film, Guadalajara Film Festival Best Film, Los Angeles Latino Film Festival Best Actress, Festival International du Film d'Amiens Grand Jury Award, Cartagena International Film Festival, Special Jury Award, Rencontres Cinémas de Toulouse and Best Opera Prima, Découverte de la Critique Française. It was the third highest grossing Mexican film in Mexico during 1999, and successfully released in Spain and Latin America in 2000.


Escandón has been named the Writer to Watch by Newsweek magazine and by the Los Angeles Times.īased on her novel Esperanza’s Box of Saints, Escandón wrote the screenplay Santitos at the Sundance Screenwriters Lab. The book was the number one best seller in the Los Angeles Times Best Sellers List. She addresses the universal fear of losing a child, a woman's search for identity, and a journey –both geographical and spiritual– that takes Esperanza, the protagonist, through sordid brothels from Mexico to Los Angeles. Living in Los Angeles, Escandón began observing her culture of origin from a distance, which allowed her a fresh and deeper look into traditional facets of Mexican life: such as the Mexicans' unique brand of Catholicism intertwined with Pre-Columbian influences women's position in society, subjugated to men but pillars of the family illegal immigration and the love-hate relationship between Mexico and the United States and the intense longing for the country of origin tempered by the hatred of Mexican government corruption, all of which she drew upon to write both her novels and non-fiction works.Įscandón wrote her first novel, Esperanza's Box of Saints (Simon & Schuster), and its Spanish version, Santitos (Random House), in 1999. She is among the top contemporary Latin American female writers, and a renowned author in many countries: her work has been translated into 22 languages and is currently read in more than 86 countries. Her distinctive style uses multiple voice narrations and a cleverly humorous, quirky, compassionate and feminine angle that allows her to capture the odd reality of everyday life. Her stories focus on family relationships in the Latino community, sense of loss, forgiveness, faith, cultural identity and self-discovery. Her work has won several awards and has been recognized for addressing bicultural themes in the United States.

María Amparo Escandón is a best-selling bilingual novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, and film producer.
