Three feature films, two documentaries, and a short film represented Colombia at the festival, where Colombian productions won four awards.
The Biarritz Amérique Latine Festival has become a key event for Latin American cinema, with competitions for feature films, short films, and documentaries. Beyond the competitions, the festival immerses participants in Latin American culture through photo exhibitions, literary discussions, and university activities.
This year's fiction competition featured La piel en primavera (Skin in Spring) by Yennifer Uribe Alzate. This Colombian-Chilean co-production had its international premiere in the Forum section of the Berlinale (2024). It served as the opening film of this year's Cartagena de Indias International Film Festival (FICCI). Also in competition was Querido Trópico (Dear Tropics), a Panamanian-Colombian co-production directed by Ana Endara, which participated in the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2024. The film won the audience award, and its star, Paulina García, received the award for best performance.
In the documentary competition, La laguna del soldado (The Soldier's Lagoon) by Pablo Álvarez-Mesa was included. This film was presented as a project at the Cannes Docs Marché du Film program in May 2023 as part of the Canada Showcase of Docs In Progress, where it received the Docs in Orbit Invitation Award. Prior to its participation in Biarritz, this Colombian-Canadian production premiered at the 46th International Documentary Film Festival Cinéma du Réel (2024). Another participant was Una Canción Para Mi Tierra (A Song for My Land; Argentina, Alemania, Colombia), directed by Mauricio Albornoz Iniesta, which also had its world premiere at the festival and went on to win the Audience Award and a Special Mention ex-aequo in its category.
Fieras (Beasts; Colombia, USA) by Andrés Felipe Ángel Machete competed in the Short Film section. This work previously won the Santa Lucía Awards for Best Fiction Short Film, Best Direction, and Best Screenplay at the National Fiction Competition of Bogoshorts - Bogotá Shorts Film Festival (2023).
Finally, in the Out of Competition section, the film Yo vi tres luces negras (I Saw Three Black Lights) by Santiago Lozano was screened. This film won the Audience Award at the Berlin International Film Festival (2024) and the Heart Award at the Toulouse Cinelatino Festival (2024).
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