Ver Cine Colombiano: Noticias | Proimágenes Colombia

Launched in 2002 as a platform for showcasing, preserving, and promoting independent horror cinema, the Macabro - International Horror Film Festival of Mexico City is the country's first and most seasoned genre film festival. It serves as a gathering place for film enthusiasts and those eager to explore the world of horror in audiovisual culture, connecting with its creators and the diverse range of expressions from around the world. Macabro has played a key role in supporting the Latin American genre cinema since its inception, highlighting the work of filmmakers such as Jorge Olguín (Chile), Adrián García Bogliano (Argentina), Rodrigo Aragao (Brazil), Jorge Molina (Cuba), Christian González (Mexico), Jairo Pinilla (Colombia), and many others. In the 2023 edition, the Colombian short film Paloquemao won the Best International Short Film award.
 
In this story, Pedro is one of the "underdevelopment vampires" working among aisles filled with garlic, fruits, herbs, and crucifixes in the Paloquemao Market Square. But on May 28, 2016, when authorities break up Bogota's biggest blood trafficking network, his supplier, Harbey, manages to escape and seeks refuge in the market square, putting his budding romance with Angie, the girl he's in love with, in jeopardy.

The film's creators include Jeferson Cardoza Herrera and Melisa Zapata Montoya as the writer, director, and producer, respectively. The editing was done by Rafael Pérez Mantilla, with cinematography by Santiago M. Cortés. Ricardo Téllez Benavides handled the art direction, and the original music was composed by Daniel Correa Ulloa from Radiola Estudio. The production was managed by Carolina Zárate, with coordination by Miguel Morales Celis and assistance from César Andrés Santana. Andrés Felipe Cantor Farfán was the assistant director, and Santiago Rodríguez Moreno managed the sound. The film features performances by Leidy Morales, Harbey Zamudio, Pedro Gacharná, and other artists.
 
Between 2022 and 2023, the film was selected for several prestigious film festivals, including the 27th Regard Saguenay International Short Film Festival, the 16th Glasgow Short Film Festival, the 37th International Film Festival Fribourg, the 43rd Porto International Film Festival Fantasporto, the 13th Meme Pas Peur, the 5th Iberoamerican Film Festival Miami, the 20th London Short Film Festival, the 28th Lund Fantastic Film Festival, and more. It also received the Best Direction and Best Art Direction awards at the 20th edition of the Bogotá Short Film Festival / Festival de Cortos de Bogotá - Bogoshorts.

In its development stage, it was selected as the winning project for the Fiction Short Film Creation Grant for New Filmmakers of Bogota's Local Stimulus Program - Idartes in 2020. Additionally, it was chosen as a participating project in the 12th Euro Connection / La Petite Fabrique, held at the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Market in 2020. The project was granted this opportunity after winning the BFM Incubator competition at the 17th Bogotá Short Film Festival / Festival de Cortos de Bogotá - Bogoshorts in 2019.
 
Finally, Paloquemao was selected as part of the REFRESH Vol. 4 catalog of Colombian short films by Proimágenes Colombia in 2022. REFRESH is an initiative that annually helps a carefully chosen group of Colombian short films develop and implement distribution plans nationally and internationally. This support allows filmmakers to exhibit their work, connect with various opportunities, and build partnerships to strengthen their future projects.