Colombia at DOK Leipzig 2018

Pantalla Colombia No.: 083
noviembre 01 - 30 / 2018

The Colombian projects Our Song to War (Nuestra canción a la guerra), The Shape of Now (La forma del presente), Homo Botanicus, and Jail (Cárcel) participated in the Official Selection of DOK Leipzig Film Festival 2018.

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The sixty-first edition of the International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film—one of the oldest documentary festivals in the world held every year in Leipzig, Germany—ended on November 4. Founded in 1955 under the name All-German Leipzig Festival of Cultural and Documentary Films, it was the first independent film festival in eastern Germany.
This year the festival presented a total of 306 films from 50 different countries. Of the 3,150 works reviewed by the selection committee over the past year, 160 entered the Official Selection and additional films were screened as part of the Special Programmes. The Official Selection of DOK Leipzig consists of six competitions and the International Program, as well as the new Late Harvest section.
The Shape of Now and Homo Botanicus were part of the Next Masters Competition and competed against 10 other productions from Spain, Lithuania, Brazil, Slovakia, Italy, and Iran.

The Shape of Now (La forma del presente) was directed by Manuel Correa, produced by Augusto Cesar Sandino, Emil Olsen, and Manuel Correa; with cinematography by Manuel Correa, Angélica Toro, and John Jarlen Quiroz; editing by Manuel Correa; music by Simon Mesa Giraldo; sound by Francisco Londoño and Emil Olsen; and a script by Sebastián Munera, Manuel Correa, Francisco Londoño, and Emil Olsen. The feature film had its world premiere at the festival. It was shot in Medellín and Bogotá and deals with themes of memory, forgiveness, and reconciliation in Colombia since the signing of peace agreements between the government and the guerillas.
Homo Botanicus, the first feature film by Guillermo Quintero, also had its world premiere at DOK Leipzig. It explores the mentoring relationship between the botanist Julio Betancur and his student Cristian Castro as they diligently traverse the Colombian tropical forests. These scientists’ old-school journey takes them through an environment flush with the mysteries that surround plant life and its legacy. The film is produced by Nicolás Van Hemelryck, Clare Weiskopf, Pierre-Emmanuel Urcun and Guillermo Quintero; with cinematography by Guillermo Quintero; music by Violeta Cruz; sound by Marc-Olivier Brullé; and editing by Julie Borvon and Guillermo Quintero.
Jail (Cárcel) by Catalina Vásquez Salazar was part of the International Short Film Competition along with 19 other productions. In Jail, eight-year-old Laura receives a letter from her father containing a story about rabbits that explains his absence. Based on real interviews, Catalina Vásquez Salazar constructs a disturbing story in which the visual and textual levels are initially far apart. The adolescent daughter approximates reality only through gradually exposed inconsistencies and alarming impressions during her frequent visits with her father in prison. In addition to directing, Vásquez Salazar also co-produced and wrote the script. Further co-production was by Juan Pablo Tamayo; cinematography by Sebastián Quintero Mesa; editing by David Castaño Luján; sound by Oscar Rojo and José Santamaría; music by Jose Santamaría and Sebastián Quintero Mesa; and animation by Catalina Vásquez Salazar, Julián García Mejía, and David Castaño Luján.

The fourth film Our Song to War (Nuestra canción a la guerra) by Juanita Onzaga was part of the International Short Film Program, which screened 36 short films. In Our Song to War, cocodrile-men, a mystical river, children who like to fish, and a war that is coming to an end all share the same parcel of Colombian land: Bojayá. Here, the villagers hold strange beliefs and celebrate the Novenario death ritual. This could be the beginning of a very long story in which spirits and humans meet each other to learn what there is to life after the conclusion of a war.
It is a co-production between Colombia and Belgium by Jan Stevens, Sofie Despeer, and Onzaga, who also carried out cinematography, screenwriting, and editing. Romain Vennekens also participated in editing, and sound design was left to Jérémy Bocquet.

Más noticias

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Colombia in Europa

Somos Calentura: We Are The Heat and Coffee Break were part of the Official Selection of the Warsaw International Film Festival, while Tropical Virus, The Sacrifice (Siete cabezas), and El mito de los caídos were screened at Sitges Film Festival.
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Rubén Mendoza Wandering Girl in Tallinn

The Colombian director’s new film Wandering Girl (Niña errante) had its world premiere in Estonia as part of the Official Selection of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.