From August 27 to September 6, the 82nd Venice International Film Festival will be held, featuring Barrio triste (Sad Neighborhood; Colombia, United States), directed by Stillz. The 50th Toronto International Film Festival will run from September 4 to 14, with Tomás Corredor's Noviembre (November) in the Discovery section, and Simón Mesa Soto's Un poeta (A Poet) included in Special Presentations.
Founded in 1932, the Venice International Film Festival was the first of its kind. Each year, it showcases the best of global cinema through an artistic, forward-looking lens. In this edition, Colombia is represented in the Orizzonti section with Barrio triste (Sad Neighborhood; Colombia, United States), directed by Matías Vásquez (Stillz), an American filmmaker of Colombian descent. The cast includes Juan Pablo Baena, Samuel Velázquez, Tomás Tinoco Higuita, Bryan Erlin García, Samuel Andrés Celis, Brahian Acevedo, Samuel Ruiz, Estiven Salazar, and José Arley Marín González.
Meanwhile, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), held annually since 1976 in Ontario, Canada, presents films from every corner of the world. This year, Colombia is represented in the Discovery section with Noviembre (November; Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Norway), directed by Tomás Corredor, which will have its world premiere at the event. Drawing on the 1985 siege of the Palace of Justice, Noviembre (November) interweaves fiction with powerful archival footage to deliver a taut, unsettling meditation on conviction, chaos, and the lasting wounds of one of Colombia’s darkest days. The film is produced by Burning Colombia and Somos Piano, in co-production with Vulcana Cinema and TordemFilm.
In Special Presentations, Simón Mesa Soto's Un poeta (A Poet) will have its North American premiere before opening in Colombian theaters on August 28. A co-production between Colombia, Germany, and Sweden, it is the director’s second feature and comes to Toronto after winning the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The film participated in the Film Projects category at the Bogotá Audiovisual Market – BAM (2023) and received support from the Film Development Fund (FDC).
Óscar Restrepo’s obsession with poetry brought him no acclaim. Aged and adrift, he has slipped into the cliché of the poet in the shadows. Meeting Yurlady, a humble teenager, and helping her nurture her talent brings some light to his days, but drawing her into the world of poets may not be the right path. Un poeta is produced by Ocúltimo and Medio de Contención Producciones, in co-production with Majade fiction, Momento Film, ZDF Das kleine Fernsehspiel with ARTE, and Film i Väst.
