Film

Sergio & Lilí Cabrera
17h | Riverside Studios

Legendary Colombian film-maker Sergio Cabrera talks to Sean Penn’s official biographer Richard T. Kelly about his award-winning film La Estrategia del Caracol (The Snail’s Strategy) after a special screening of the film. The Snail’s Strategy will be preceded by a UK première of the award-winning debut short film El Espejo, directed by Cabrera’s daughter, Lilí.

About Sergio Cabrera

The son of Spanish exiled actors, Cabrera grew up in Medellín before moving to China as a boy. He studied film in London and his feature films have premiered at festivals in Havana, New York, Sundance, Montreal and Venice. He has directed 6 features, 12 short films and many documentaries, also participating in various TV series working as writer, producer, director of photography and editor. He currently lives in Madrid.

About La Estrategia del Caracol (The Snail’s Strategy)

La Estrategia del Caracol (1994): a group of tenants share an abandoned mansion in Bogotá but fear they’ll be evicted when the former owner tries to reclaim the building. When a judge rules in favour of the landlord, a new strategy must be found. A lively and effective blend of magic realism and social commentary, this film is a powerful portrayal of solidarity, freedom and dignity. The film won eight awards on the international film festival circuit.

About Lilí Cabrera

Lilí Cabrera was born in Colombia 25 years ago. She has worked as an actress on Colombian television. Playing a role in her father’s film Golpe de Estadio (1998) allowed her to discover a passion for filmmaking. After studying in Italy and Spain she co-directed The Mirror with Valerio Veneras and won best short film at the renown 51 Seminci de Valladolid Film Festival (Spain)

About El Espejo (The Mirror)

El Espejo (2006): A young painter and his girlfriend look for an apartment to rent. They come across a peculiar landlady who shows them a beautiful, spacious place. But was attracts the painter is a large mirror that dominates the living room. The painter is fascinated by it from the very start and decides to trust the mirror as his muse with unexpected consequences for his girlfriend and his career. The short film has won three awards at prestigious film festivals across Spain.

Juan Fischer
20h15 | Riverside Studios

Writer-director Juan Fischer discusses the making of his cult hit Buscando a Miguel (Looking for Miguel), a black comedy about identity, friendship and redemption, premiering in the UK during Colombiage. Fisher talks to notable film journalist and editor of Screenwriter’s Masterclass Kevin Conroy Scott about the challenges of piracy, the peculiarities of writing for the screen and the influence of Voltaire’s Candide on Fisher’s film.

About Juan Fischer

Fischer lives in New York with his wife and their young son. His studies include drama training at the Transform Theatre in Berlin; acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and The Elaine Aiken’s Actor’s Conservatory; and film writing and editing at The School of Visual Arts and The New School, all in New York.

His first feature film was El Séptimo Cielo, New York (1999) which was his debut as producer, director and screenwriter. El Séptimo Cielo (The Seventh Sky) won the award for best Colombian film in the Bogotá Film Festival 2000, and was awarded a grant for post-production by the Ministry of Culture in 1997. The film has been presented at several film festivals worldwide.

Buscando a Miguel, his second feature film, was awarded a grant for post-production by the Ministry of Culture in 2006 and was released in Colombia in August 2007.

About Buscando a Miguel

Buscando a Miguel (2007): Miguel is a young politician with a brilliant career ahead of him. He comes from a wealthy family who sees the world from a position of privilege, but by a strange turn of fate he becomes a corpse without an identity. Mistaken for a John Doe, Miguel regains consciousness before his autopsy can start. He eventually escapes but discovers that he has no memories. He searches for himself in an unknown city amongst people he doesn’t know, living through fragmentary images of his past and dreams he can’t understand. In this new life, he discovers a new person - an essential Miguel who struggles to find redemption.