Rio’s Caixa Cultural Presents Colombian Film Exhibition

By Beatriz Miranda, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Today, June 27th, Caixa Cultural in Centro opens the exhibit “A Caliwood de Luis Ospina: Cinema Colombiano de Vanguarda” (Luis Ospina’s Caliwood: Avant-Guard’s Colombian Cinema). Through July 9th, the event screens 34 films and honors filmmaker Luis Ospina, one of the greatest names from Colombia’s independent cinema.

Among fictions, documentaries and experimental projects, the exhibition provides an audiovisual panorama of Bogotá and its surroundings. The festival includes “Sopro de vida” (Breath of life, 1999) and “Um tigre de papel” (Paper Tiger, 2007), two of Ospina’s masterpieces.

The audience will also have the opportunity to watch Ospina’s latest production, “Tudo começou pelo fim” (It All Started At the End, 2015). Nominated to Fénix Film Award and Platino Award for Best Documentary, the film presents the history of Caliwood (Cali’s independent cinema movement, from Colombia).

“Brazil’s audience has always paid attention to the American and European classic production, but has been far less aware of other continents’ cinema, specially the Latin America’s. Caliwood cinema is very important for bringing aspects that are also present in the Brazilian cinema, like the dynamic between regional and national film and the relation between humor and terror”, supports the curator Lúcia Ramos.

The exhibit will also brings films made by Ospina’s partners Carlos Mayolo and Patricia Restrepo. Among the highlights are the Ospina and Mayolo’s mockocumentary “Agarrando Pueblo – Os Vampiros da Miséria” (Agarrando Pueblo – The Vampires of Poverty, 1978); “Carne de tu carne” (Flesh of your flesh, 1983), by Mayolo; and Restrepo’s “Momentos de um domingo” (Moments of a Sunday, 1985).

In addition to the film sessions, the event will promote two free activities: a masterclass with Ospina and the workshop “Revolutions of Colombian Cinema”. On this Saturday, July 1st, the honored director will discuss with the audience the experimental Latin American cinema and his trajectory in the audiovisual career.

On June 29th, July 6th and 7th, researchers Consuelo Lins (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro), Fabian Nunez (Fluminense Federal University) and Marc Berdet (University of São Paulo) will lead the workshop on Ospina’s work and Caliwood.

Luis Ospina is the marque name of Grupo de Cali (Cali’s group), a controversial movement dating from the 1970s aimed at portraying Colombian society beyond the stereotypes of drug trafficking and violence. Today, Ospina teaches in cinema schools in Argentina, Chile and Mexico.

What: Luis Ospina’s Caliwood: Avant-Guard’s Colombian Cinema
When: Tuesday, June 27th – Sunday, July 9th
Where: Caixa Cultural do Rio de Janeiro – Avenida Almirante Barroso, 25 – Centro – Tel: (21) 3980-3815
Entrance: R$4 for the sessions. The masterclass and the workshop are free.