Thread of Return

Harassment, kidnapping, isolation, submission, hunger, humiliation, infidelity, psychological manipulation and incest are some of the themes that are the focus of this documentary based on true stories and the work of natural actors who suffered abuse and are marked by abandonment. Made during the filming of "La mujer del animal" by Victor Gaviria.

Monica is 13 years old and has already created her own world, on the street, where she fights courageously to defend what little she has: her friends, her boyfriend, who sells drugs, and her dignity and pride that makes no concessions to anyone. On Christmas night, like every night, she sells roses to make a living. But life brings her a new appointment with loneliness, poverty, drugs and death.

A young woman experiences the worst life has to over in this depressing but worthwhile Colombian drama tinged with a hint of magical realism. Paola Baldion plays Marina, a withdrawn teenager whose abusive grand-dad houses her in a dilapidated shed. When the old fart pops his clogs, Marina passes into the care of cousin Jairo (Julian Roman), a cheesecake photographer who "hires" her to help him with his gear, and the two end up taking an episodic road trip as they travel to reclaim grandpa's legacy. Unpleasant flashbacks to Marina's tragic childhood ensue. Yep, the good times never end in this one! Known in English as Portraits in a Sea of Lies, this meditation on the 50-year long Colombian civil war - as seen through the grueling experiences of our heroine - won the Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 14th Cine Las Americas International Film Festival.

Amparo, a submissive young woman, tries to escape from her strict convent school but falls into the hands of “El Animal,” a violent and abusive man who forces her to become his wife. Trapped by fear and constant mistreatment, she clings to her love for her daughter and her hope for a better life. However, her strength and dignity may not be enough to stand against the cruelty of the ruthless Animal.

A wealthy Columbian politician blinded by his own privilege is forced to walk a mile in the shoes of the people he despises most after falling victim to a violent attack and subsequently losing his memory. Miguel was a man of fine stock, a politician who has led a charmed life since the day he was born. But Miguel has no appreciation for his lot in life, and scoffs at the everyday people who must struggle just to survive. One day, after being assaulted on the street and left for dead, Miguel awakens with no memory of the past. He has forgotten his distain for the dumpster divers, petty thieves, and wandering transients who crowd the city streets, and now their warmth and solidarity is the only thing keeping him alive. As Miguel forges a friendship with a pious but promiscuous drag queen, the fragments of the past gradually become illuminated in his mind, prompting him on a desperate quest to reclaim his identity and atone for the sins of his past.

One of the most important Colombian films of the last years revives. With 'The Rose Seller' we learned about the most painful side of addictions: lost youth. What happened to its protagonists? How, against all odds, did they make such a powerful tale? Erwin Goggel's 'Making birds act' is a return to that universe, a look at the most melancholic, surprising, and bleak past from 20 years ago, or a look at today, 20 years after its birth.

A young balladeer raised in the United States returns to Colombia to continue her career. Her plans do not align with her mother's, a famous singer of tropical music, and their clash is inevitable. The girl flees her home and frequents the spaces of musicians and artists with revolutionary tendencies.

Amidst the Colombian Andes, a group of trans women from the Embera Chami community make their way into the international fashion scene, empowered through artistic collaboration and creation while preserving their spiritual heritage and ancestral connection to their territory.