Learn More About Colombia Through a Film Fest

BANGKOK — In Thailand little is known about Colombia beyond its reputation for organized crime and cocaine. But the South American nation also boasts impressive nature, world-class literature and vibrant traditional dances.

At Colombia Film Festival, the first of its kind in the region, four films will be screened to give a glimpse of other sides of Colombian life.

Shot over a period of five years and showing Colombia from coast to coast — from the Amazon rainforest through to the Pacific Coast and Malpelo Island — the unique biodiversity and rich natural splendour of Colombia are brought to the screen in the 2015 documentary “Colombia, Wild Magic.”

Directed by Mike Slee, who is known for films about the environment and pushing the limits of new technology, the documentary became the most watched film in Colombian cinematic history.

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Fans of celebrated Colombian novelist Gabriel García Márquez can enjoy some magic realism in “Of Love and Other Demons” (2009), based on novel of the same name, about a girl who gets bitten by a dog and develops rabies which causes her to act as if she is possessed.

The festival also includes a drama previously screened at Cannes which centers around a young refugee who goes to live with her estranged uncle at a guesthouse in “La Sirga” (2012).

Colombia Film Festival concludes with “Porro Made in Colombia” (2016), a musical documentary on Porro, a style of folk dance that is unique to the South American nation.

The schedule is available online. Tickets are 120 baht per movie or tickets for the final three films can be purchased as a special package for a bargain 300 baht. They can be bought through the festival Facebook page. All films will be shown with subtitles in both English and Thai.

The four-day festival,  hosted by HAL Distribution and the Embassy of Colombia, starts on July 22, before taking a break and then running again from July 27 until July 29, at Esplanade Cineplex Ratchada, a few-minutes walk from MRT Thailand Cultural Centre’s exit No. 3.

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