David Gallego nominated for a BIFA in the UK
Pantalla Colombia No.: 072diciembre 01 - 31 / 2017
For his participation in the film I Am Not a Witch, the Colombian filmmaker David Gallego received a nomination in the Best Cinematography Category at the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) which will be presented on December 10
The BIFA (British Independent Film Awards) were created in 1998 with the aim of celebrating the achievements of British films with independent funding and to recognize new talents. This year, I Am Not a Witch by Rungano Nyoni received 13 nominations: Best Film, Best Script, Best Director, Best Actress, Debut Director, Debut Screenwriter, Best Costume Design, Best Make-up and Hair Design, Best Music, Best Production Design, Best Sound, Breakthrough Producer, and Best Cinematography – the category in which Gallego is nominated.
David Gallego’s prior work in various national productions such as Ciro Guerra's The Embrace of the Serpent (El abrazo de la serpiente), Violencia by Jorge Forero; Nacimiento by Martín Mejía, and Cecilia by Verónica Rodríguez ensures that the BIFA nomination will allow him to project himself into European cinematography. He also points out that having worked on I Am Not a Witch helped him to understand how Europeans develop a film a project. "The experience was very enriching. There are new horizons for working in Europe. For me, this film was the gateway to understanding the production schemes that operate there," he told PANTALLA COLOMBIA.
I Am Not a Witch, which premiered during the Cannes Film Festival at the Directors' Fortnight, was filmed in Zambia. It tells the story of Shula, a 9-year-old girl accused of witchcraft and sent to a "witch camp." There she is told that if she tries to escape she will be turned into a white goat. She will have to decide whether to accept her destiny or to take a risk and seek freedom.
As a result of to the success of The Embrace of the Serpent in Europe, the African director and deputy producer contacted David Gallego to invite him to work on the British production. "They contacted me and proposed the project. I read it and found the story interesting, and then we started talking about how to tell the story."
Gallego has also performed cinematography and photography duties for the FoxSports documentary Amazonas Expedition, Siloé Peace Project for ZDF in Germany, Armero, deconstrucción by Jorge Forero, and La gran travesía por el Rio Magdalena for the Federación Colombiana de Motonáutica. He also carried out still photography for La infancia en Palenque de San Basilio, Amazonas, and Danza moderna.