
Colombia Named Guest of Honor at Busan
Pantalla Colombia No.: 139mayo 01 - 31 / 2025
The 42nd Busan International Short Film Festival (BISFF) highlighted the richness and diversity of Colombia's short-form cinema, thanks to a collaborative effort with the Bogoshorts Universe and the support of Proimágenes Colombia.

Colombia was the Guest of Honor at the Busan International Short Film Festival in South Korea, becoming the first Latin American country to receive this distinction. The BISFF aims to spotlight the world's newest and most under-the-radar short films, which it describes as "hidden cinematic gems." Colombia's participation was the result of nearly two years of collaboration between BISFF and the Bogoshorts Universe as its main partner. Through a joint curatorial process and ongoing dialogue, 16 Colombian short films were selected and showcased across several programming sections. Colombia's role as Guest of Honor was made possible through a joint effort involving institutions such as the Colombian Embassy in Korea, Proimágenes Colombia, the City of Busan, and the Korean Film Council (KOFIC).
In the International Competition, Lanawaru (Colombia, United States, 2024), directed by Angello Faccini, was featured after screenings at other prestigious events such as the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. Mi Demonio (My Demon, 2024), by Rossana Montoya, was part of the official selection at the 16th Cali International Film Festival (2024), the 63rd Cartagena International Film Festival (FICCI, 2024), and was an Official Selection of the 22nd BOGOSHORTS - Bogotá Short Film Festival (2024).
The Colombia Panorama section included Atmósferas (Atmospheres, 2019) by Leinad Pájaro de la Hoz, an official selection at the Vancouver Latin American Film Festival; El intronauta (The Intronaut, 2020), directed by José Arboleda, which received the Santa Lucía awards for Best Art Direction and Best Sound Design at BOGOSHORTS (2020) and was supported by the FDC in 2017; El tamaño de las cosas (The Size of Things, 2019), by Carlos Felipe Montoya, previously selected by major festivals such as Huesca; La perra (The Bitch, France, Colombia, 2023), by Carla Melo, which premiered at Cannes and has since won multiple awards, including Best Latin American Short Film at BitBang (2023), a Special Mention at the 52nd Molodist Kyiv Film Festival (Ukraine, 2023), and Best Animated Short at the 34th São Paulo International Short Film Festival – Curta Kinoforum (Brazil, 2023), among others; and Todo incluido (All Inclusive, France, Colombia, 2022), by Duván Duque, featured at the 47th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, 2022) and the Biarritz Latin America Film Festival (2023).
The Colombia Documental section included another work by Angello Faccini, Dulce (2018), which was released by New York Times Op-Docs. The film was selected by Sundance, Toronto, and IDFA, and received awards such as Best Documentary at the Palm Springs Film Festival and the Grand Prix at the Tampere Film Festival. Also in this section was Pacífico oscuro (2020), by Camila Beltrán, which was part of the Pardi di domani official selection at the 2020 Locarno Film Festival, as well as the Dhaka International Film Festival and Cinelatino – 33rd Rencontres de Toulouse, among others. In Colombia, it won Best Experimental Short and Best Editing in the National Competition at BOGOSHORTS. Pirsas (2022), directed by Angélica María Torres, was also featured in this section. It had its world premiere at the San Sebastián International Film Festival and this year won the 15th Solé Tura Award for Best Short Film at the Brain Film Fest. Two other Colombian documentaries in this section were Ruta 60 (Route 60, 2018), by Wilson Arango, which was part of the official selection at the 20th Bogotá International Documentary Showcase (MIDBO, 2018), the Havana International Festival of New Latin American Cinema (2018), and the Buenos Aires Colombian Film Festival (FICCBA, 2019), among others; and The Island (2019), by Santiago Arbeláez, screened at the 21st BOGOSHORTS (2023).
The Prisma section included a diverse array of Colombian short films, such as Como crece la sombra cuando el sol declina (Like Shadows Growing as the Sun Goes Down, Colombia, France, 2014) by Camilo Restrepo, previously screened at festivals like MIDBO; Este no es tu jardín (This Is Not Your Garden, 2025) by Carlos Velandia, part of the official selection at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, set to take place in June; Llaga (Wound, 2024) directed by Jerónimo Rincón Díaz, which was featured at the 22nd BOGOSHORTS; Quimtai (2015) by Camilo Colmenares, selected for the El Espejo International Short and Film School Festival (2015); and Tropic Pocket (2010), also by Camilo Restrepo, which was screened at the Márgenes Festival, among others. The section also included Walking Language (2025) by Enrico Mandirola.
Representing the Guest Country on the official jury were director Sergio Cabrera (La Estrategia del Caracol / The Strategy of the Snail), currently Colombia's ambassador to China, who served as a juror in the International Competition; and Jaime E. Manrique, founder and director of BOGOSHORTS – Bogotá Short Film Festival, who served on the jury for the Korean Competition. Both also participated in various academic activities.
The festival lineup included a special night dedicated to Colombian cinema, featuring the panel Film Industries of Colombia and Asia. Participants included Alejandro Peláez Rodríguez (Colombian Ambassador to Korea), who moderated the panel alongside KANG Sungkyu (Director of the Busan Film Commission), Nishtani Koaru (Short Film Programmer of Japan's Kitakyushu International Film Festival), KIM Youngjin (CEO of the production company ROCKET), and Sergio Cabrera.
Under the theme “Cinema & Sound”, this festival edition emphasized sound's power in cinematic storytelling and its ability to transform and elevate the audiovisual experience. On April 28, the panel Sound and Music in Short Films: Cinematic Language and Experience was held, moderated by LEE Sanghoon (Artistic Director of BISFF), featuring SHIM Hyunjung and KIM Sawol (composers), Jaime E. Manrique (director of BOGOSHORTS, and also the producer and sound recordist of Pirsas), Bernard Payen (Programmer at the Cinémathèque Française), and filmmaker George Hiraoka Cloke.
The festival's opening ceremony also included a special showcase of traditional Colombian rhythms such as salsa, cumbia, and bambuco, adding an artistic and cultural touch that helped introduce Korean audiences to Colombia's musical and folkloric richness.
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