Stories of women from our documentary films were presented in a retrospective in Colombia at the Fusagasuga International Film Festival. They are strong women, women who tell of hope and coming out of the tunnel, women on the front line. And the founder and director of the festival is a woman: Natalia Herrera.
The retrospective: Stories of women in Colombia, at the Fusagasuga Film Festival
The festival, now in its 8th edition, closed on 15 December, with a large public turnout. “Women and Territory” is the title of the year. Among the films in the competition, there was also a retrospective devoted to some of our female-themed productions. Thus was presented Wells of Hope, a documentary made with the anti-trafficking network Talitha Kum: Shaima had fled from Syria to a refugee camp and met her tormentor on the web. A group of Arab women of different religions working to combat trafficking expose the organ trafficking of which Shaima was a victim. To watch Wells of Hope again you can go HERE.
A Burst of Song, the documentary that has participated in 101 festivals and won 47 awards: In the slums of Calcutta, three girls manage to redeem themselves by pursuing their dreams. Finally, the feature film Tears&Dreams, shot in the Golden Triangle: a journey among Burmese Akha refugees, opium trafficking, the enslavement of girls in the village of “giraffe women”, victims of trafficking, the friendship of a group of nuns with a Buddhist monk.
Andes orchid
Orchids have always held a great fascination for me. I saw some wonderful ones in Colombia. Von Humboldt had gone to Fusagasuga to study the various species. And so, the symbol of the festival, the mountain orchid, caught my eye. A retrospective right there was a real Christmas present for me. Natalia and I met years ago.
At the first edition, 7 years ago in Colombia
It was 2014. We came to Colombia to present our documentary, Jerusalem Dreams & Reality. Marianna Beltrami was with me. The theme of the festival was “women of the mountains”, we felt at ease. We were welcomed by the town of Fusagasuga with open arms. We met the world of cinema, culture and environmental protection. Cicero took us into the forest to discover all the varieties of orchids and medicinal plants. We visited the coffee plantations and the butterfly house. Our film received the audience award, and we returned full of unique encounters.
Always on the road
Natalia Herrera, the director, then came to Italy for the jury at the Religion Today Film Festival. A link was also forged with Women of Faith for Peace to support the commitment of all women on the front line to build a better world.
Cinema is an important vehicle for activism and social commitment.
