Three Colombian shorts were part of the selection in the Future/Present and Alt category of the thirty-eighth edition of the Vancouver International Film Festival, September 26 - October 11
The Vancouver International Film Festival -VIFF- is a film event founded in 1982. It is held annually thanks to the non-profit organization Greater Vancouver International Film Festival Society. In 2019, VIFF will showcase more than 180 feature-length films and 80 shorts in a showing of multiple films from different countries. The meeting defends the most emotional new voices of international film, offering a diverse and progressive program, encouraging a dialogue around art and the film industry, in addition to presenting the best showcase of contemporary Canadian cinema. Directors such as Koreeda Hirokazu, Sean Baker and Maren Ade attended the VIFF at the start of their careers.
On this occasion, Colombia participates in the event with three shorts. Aquí y allá, Lina Rodriguez’s most recent work, shall have its world premiere in the Future/Present section, dedicated to celebrating independent filmmakers from all over Canada who show originality and vision whilst challenging the possibilities of cinematographic language. The short is a coproduction between Colombia and Canada that will be projected with the feature-length film Sofia Bohdanowicz and Deragh Campbell’s MS Slavic 7. Aquí y allá creates an intimate audiovisual place of personal and collective memory that reflects on the complexity of family dynamics between Rodríguez’s grandparents, father and aunts and uncles during the time that they spent together in Chipaque, a small village on the outskirts of Bogotá, Colombia.
The Alt section is characterized by a reflection towards gender. This is made up of works which Challenge the traditional classification with creators who opt for taking narration to other planes. In this section we find Masmelos from Duván Duque, coproduced by Evidencia Films (Colombia) and In Vivo Films (France). The protagonist of the film is Andrea Rey, who plays Melanie, a young girl throws a party for her friends at her family’s luxurious house, whilst her father is publicly accused of corruption. The film had its world premiere at the Guanajuato International Film Festival – GIFF.
Bajo la sombra del Guacarí from Greg Méndez, premiered at the Sundance Festival (2019), is also part of this section. This Guateque Cine production tells the story of a town-crier who, in the midst of large wetlands, takes the news that dead bodies have appeared on the banks of the river. When he finds out that one of these was his friend Ciro, Abraham undertakes a travel through traditional wails and songs to fulfil a promise that takes him to the shade of the Guacarí tree.
