Profiles: César Acevedo | Proimágenes Colombia

César Augusto Acevedo García, born in Cali in 1987, directed and wrote the screenplay for Land and Shade (2015), the first Colombian film ever to win the Caméra d'Or at Cannes, the highest international accolade to date for Colombian cinema. “I’m amazed by this award. Thanks to the jury, thanks to everyone who made the film possible. I want to especially thank my producers, the entire team, and above all the director of photography for all your friendship and hard work. I dedicate this award to the farmers, who are the real heroes of our country; also to my family and especially to the memory of my mother,” said Acevedo at the awards ceremony.
 
Acevedo graduated with honors from the School of Social Communication and Journalism at the Universidad del Valle, with the screenplay of Land and Shade. His thesis committee was made up of filmmakers Antonio Dorado and Ramiro Arbeláez, along with his thesis advisor Oscar Campo. With support from several grants, such as the incentive award for feature film script development from the Colombian Film Development Fund (FDC), Acevedo received guidance from Chilean director José Luis Torres Leiva, of Montxo Armendariz, Paz Alicia García Diego in Spain, Miguel Machalski in the Netherlands, and others.
 
Before completing his first feature film, Acevedo wrote and directed the short films La Campana, winner of an FDC grant, and Los pasos del agua, which helped prepare him for Land and Shade. He was also co-writer and assistant director of Oscar Ruiz Navia’s feature film Fungi, winner of the Filmmakers of the Present Special Jury Prize at the Locarno Film Festival, as well as many other international awards. In addition, his film career includes work as production assistant for Oscar Ruiz Navia’s debut film, Crab Trap (FIPRESCI Prize, Berlinale, 2010); camera operator on the making-of for the feature film La Sirga, by William Vega (Directors’ Fortnight, Cannes, 2012); and still photographer for Siembra by Ángela María Osorio and Santiago Lozano. In the documentary field, he participated in Pasos de ausencia, directed by Camila Rodríguez, part of the DocTV program.
 
His debut film Land and Shade had its worldwide premier at the Critics' Week at Cannes (2015), where it received the Caméra d'Or (Golden Camera), awarded every year to the best film by a first-time director. It has also won Le Grand Rail d'Or (Golden Rail), an audience award given out by members of the French Ceux du Rail railway association; the SACD prize, awarded by the Society of Authors to one of the seven films in competition; and finally the France 4 Visionary Award, given to a visionary director showing exceptional creativity and innovation.
 
On the road to his directorial debut, Cesar Acevedo won a scholarship for the Ibero-American Film Projects course from the Fundación Carolina and Ibermedia; received an incentive award from the Colombian Film Development Fund (FDC) for Screenwriting in 2009 and for Feature Film Production in 2013; won at Encuentros Cartagena at the Cartagena International Film Festival (FICCI) in 2013; received support from the Hubert Bals Fund and the Hubert Bals Plus; and attained an Honorable Mention at the Second Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum at the San Sebastian Film Festival. He also took part in Iberoamerican Films Crossing Borders at the Havana Film Festival in 2010, and the Ibero-American Co-Production Encounter at the Huelva Film Festival in Spain in 2012.