Director, Screenplay, Producer, Executive Producer, Assistant director, Assistant of fotografia, Director of photography, Edition, Camera, Co producing
Oscar Ruiz Navia
Director, producer, and screenwriter. In 2010, he premiered his debut film Crab Trap (El vuelco del cangrejo) which won him the FIPRESCI Award from the International Federation of Film Critics in the Forum section of the 60th Berlinale. His second feature Los Hongos, won the Special Jury Prize in the Cineasti del presente section of the Locarno Film Festival (2014). His third film Epifanía, a co-production with Sweden and co-directed with Anna Eborn, had its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival (2016) in Korea.
He was born in Cali, Colombia, in 1982. After studying at the film academy of the Colombian National University, he received a communications degree from the Universidad del Valle. He coordinated the Auteur Cinema Club at Lugar a Dudas Visual Arts Foundation and was part of 2 Buenos Aires Talent Campus.
In 2006, he founded Contravia Films, a platform for experimentation in the art of film and the production independent cinema. Over time, the company has become one of the most recognized independent film companies in Colombia. In addition to producing Ruiz Navia’s own films, the company has produced La Sirga by William Vega (Directors' Fortnight, Cannes, 2012), Siembra by Ángela Osorio and Santiago Lozano (Cineasti del presente, Locarno, 2015), the co-production Tormentero by Rubén Imaz (South by Southwest, 2017), and Sal by William Vega (in post-production).
Contravía Films also produced the short films Escondite (2007), Migración (2008), and Flores (2012) directed by Marcela Gómez Montoya; A solas (2008) by Ingrid Pérez; Simiente (2011) by William Vega; and Nelsea by Felipe Guerrero (2013).
Crab Trap, his debut as a director and producer, had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2009. In addition to the FIPRESCI Award in Berlin, the film received another 15 awards and was invited to over 70 international festivals. The film received support from the Fonds Sud Cinéma and The Global Film Initiative and participated in 5 Buenos Aires Lab at the 10th BAFICI and Open Doors at the 61 Locarno Film Festival. His second feature Los Hongos (2014) was developed at the Torino Film Lab, the Buenos Aires Lab at BAFICI and Cinefondation’s La Résidence at the Cannes Film Festival.
In 2013, his short film Solecito premiered at the Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival. The project was carried out following the invitation by the Danish artist Olafur Eliasson and in collaboration with the Tate Modern Museum in London. The short film received the Best Short Film Award from the Biarritz Festival, the ABD-SP Award at the Short Film Festival in Sao Paulo, and traveled to other international festivals.
In 2017, he directed El Peñon, a documentary that is part of Colombia Bío, a series of documentaries produced during the scientific expeditions led by Colciencias in several regions of Colombia, most of which had suffered the country’s armed conflict for decades. It is a series of portraits of the relationship between art and science, through six documentaries by six filmmakers from six different parts of the country.
His filmography as a director is completed by the short films Tres libras: música para enfermos made together with Mauricio Vergara and Luís Henao (2002); Sunrise with William Vega (2003); Licuefacción with Néstor Ríos (2008); Al vacío 1, 2, 3 (2006) and En la barra hay un Cerebro (2006), which have been selected for various national and international festivals.
With Sofía Oggioni he co-directed the docufiction flick Los hijos de la bestia, produced by Señal Colombia and the School of Social Communication at the Universidad del Valle. The film was selected for the 27th Havana Film Festival - Informative Showcase (Cuba, 2005), ALUCINE 7th Toronto Latin Media Film Festival (Canada, 2006), and some other specialized festivals.
Ruiz Navia was also assistant director on the film Perro come perro by Carlos Moreno. The film participated in the Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for the Goya Awards. He has also worked as assistant cinematographer on feature films El Rey by Antonio Dorado and Yo soy otro by Oscar Campo.
As director, he is currently working on his new project Fait Vivir, a documentary feature film in post-production.
November 2017
Filming
Director
FAIT VIVIR (2020)
Director
EPIFANÍA (2017)
Director
Director
LOS HONGOS (2014)
Director
Director
CRAP TRAP (2010)
Screenplay
FAIT VIVIR (2020)
Screenplay
LOS HONGOS (2014)
Screenplay
Screenplay
CRAP TRAP (2010)
Producer
I SAW THREE BLACK LIGHTS (2024)
Producer
FAIT VIVIR (2020)
Producer
DOPAMINE (2020)
Producer
STORMMAKER (2019)
Producer
SAL (2018)
Producer
Producer
EPIFANÍA (2017)
Producer
Producer
SIEMBRA (2016)
Producer
LOS HONGOS (2014)
Producer
LA SIRGA (2012)
Producer
CRAP TRAP (2010)
Producer
MIGRACIÓN (2008)
Producer
ESCONDITE (2007)
Executive Producer
SAL (2018)
Assistant director
DOG EATS DOG (2008)
Assistant of fotografia
OTHERS (2008)
Assistant of fotografia
EL REY (2004)
Director of photography
UTOPÍA (2023)
Director of photography
FAIT VIVIR (2020)
Director of photography
ALÉN (2014)
Director of photography
Director of photography
MIGRACIÓN (2008)
Director of photography
ESCONDITE (2007)
Edition
MIGRACIÓN (2008)
Camera
ALÉN (2014)
Camera
ESCONDITE (2007)
Co producing
EL HOMBRE QUE ESTÁ AL MEDIO (2022)
Co producing