Ver Cine Colombiano: Noticias | Proimágenes Colombia

Colombia was well represented at this year’s 61st San Sebastián Film Festival, which came to a close on September 28th. The Colombian-Uruguayan co-production, Anina, by Alfredo Soderguit screened in the Latin Horizons category; Martín Mejía Rugeles’ Nacimiento participated in the Films in Progress event; Carlos Osuna’s Gordo, calvo y bajito took part in the Animatopía retrospective; the short film Perfidia, co-produced by Colombian Mauricio Leiva-Cock was present in the International Film Students Conference; and four film projects participated in the 2nd European-Latin American Co-Production Forum: Demonios tus ojos by Pedro Aguilera Londaiz, produced by Pedro Aguilera P.C. (Spain) and Ciudad Lunar (Colombia); La tierra y la sombra by César Augusto Acevedo, produced by Burning Blue; Virgen Exótica by Mario Esteban Castaño Solano, produced by Castaño Producciones (Colombia, Norway) and the Colombian project La noche oscura del alma by Augusto Sandino, produced by Altiplano Cinematográfica-Schweizen Media group S.A.S.
 
Anina was co-produced by Palermo Estudio, Rain Dogs Cine and Colombia’s Antorcha Films, led by Jhonny Hendrix Hinestroza (Chocó). The film arrived in San Sebastián after participating in the Generation section of the Berlin Film Festival, in the Lincoln Center Latinbeat Film Festival in New York, and after winning Audience Awards at the 2013 Anima Mundi Festival in Brazil and the Buenos Aires International Film Festival (BAFICI), for Best Children’s Feature and Best Foreign Film, respectively, as well as Best Film and Best Director at the 2013 Cartagena International Film Festival. It is also scheduled to screen from October 3-12 at the Busan International Film Festival in the Animation Showcase’s Wide Angle section, and from October 9-12 at the BFI London Film Festival.
 
Martín Mejía Rugeles’s feature film Nacimiento, produced by Yo Reinaré Producciones, was selected along with five productions from Chile and Argentina for the 24^th Films in Construction event. In Nacimiento, Helen is scheduled to give birth at the start of the rainy season. Her adoptive mother and brother collect food and firewood in the jungle in preparation for the approaching weeks of rain and maternity. Others dry fish or bring in the harvest and in the midst of the daily chores stories unfold of the pain and solitude in this faraway, inescapable place. The day of rest arrives and neighbors come from all around to be present at the birth. The rain begins. Life goes on.
 
Gordo, calvo y bajito was the only Latin American film to be included in the
Animatopía retrospective featuring the best of the “new paths” in animation. A total of 25 films from all over the world were screened, each going beyond restrictions erroneously imposed on the genre that limit it to family entertainment or imaginary adventures. The films selected demonstrated the freedom and power of alternative animated films to treat all kinds of adult topics through a variety of perspectives, techniques and points of view. The Colombian animation screened alongside major productions such as Toe Yuen’s My Life as McDull (Hong Kong), winner at the 2003 Annecy Festival; Áron Gauder and Erik Novak’s Nyócker (The District) (Hungary), also a winner at Annecy; The Papurika (Paprika) by Satoshi Kon (Japan); the Golden Globe winner, Vals im Bashir (Waltz with Bashir by Ari Folman (Israel, France, Germany, USA, Finland, Switzerland, Belgium, Australia); Fantastic Mr. Fox by Wes Anderson (USA); Metropia by Tarik Saleh (Sweden, Denmark, Norway); and Goya winner Chico & Rita by Fernando Trueba, Javier Mariscal and Tono Errando (Spain, UK).
 
Perfidia was co-produced by Fidelio Films, an international creative collective founded by Colombian Mauricio Leiva Cock. The film was directed by Mexican David Figueroa García and was among the Masters Theses in Film at Columbia University in New York City. The film, starring Noé Hernández, known for his role in Miss Bala, was shot in Mexico City; a portion of its post-production took place in Colombia before finalization in New York.