Colombia. The CALA AWARDS, an event that has gained recognition over the years for its outstanding focus on emerging talent, is set to once again honor young university filmmakers in its ninth iteration.
"This annual competition strives to highlight the narrative and technical skills of students engaged in the creation of visual content, giving recognition to those whose work reflects exceptional dedication and unique vision."
With a focus on authentic storytelling, the CALA AWARDS seeks for participants to submit stories that they are passionate about and reflect their dedication and knowledge acquired during their training process.
This year's finalists include productions that address themes of deep meaning and reflection. One of the outstanding productions is "Animero de Marinilla", presented by Santiago Duque Velásquez of the Colombian Polytechnic Jaime Isaza Cadavid. This documentary captures the spiritual essence of a people in Eastern Antioquia and their moving tradition of raising prayers to their deceased loved ones, providing them with the necessary support in their journey to eternal rest.
Another outstanding audiovisual piece is "Caruso", presented by Enrique Barragán Vivas of the University of Tolima. This story takes viewers on a journey through dreams and imagination, exploring human resistance against inevitable extinction and the quest for immortality through collective memory.
In addition, "El Olvido" presented by Hugo Chamorro of the Colombian Polytechnic Jaime Isaza Cadavid, offers a moving interpretation of the poem "Ya somos el olvido que seremos" by J. L. Borges, while "Guaguas y Borregos" presented by María de los Ángeles Ordoñez Bolaños of the Mariana University, tells the story of their ancestors.
Likewise, "Profano" presented by Juan David Galeano from the Colombian Polytechnic Jaime Isaza Cadavid, tells the story of Lucilo, a 25-year-old man from the city of Medellín who lives with his wife Rosa, both are very religious people and in the eyes of anyone they are the perfect couple but each one has a secret life that no one knows even among themselves, Rosa practices black witchcraft and Lucilo has an affair with Teresa, an ex-prostitute from the Leuven neighborhood, when Rosa finds out about this secret relationship she casts a spell on them, which leads to Teresa's madness and deplorable appearance and the terrible suicide of Lucilo, who upon learning of the spell decides to go up to the top floor of a building and throw himself, He died on May 2, 1964 at 8:27 a.m.
The winner of this prestigious award will receive a plaque of recognition along with a featured article in TVyVideo+Radio magazine highlighting their profile and exceptional work. In addition, they will be rewarded with a valuable technology kit that includes Litepanels luminaires courtesy of Vidiexco, an E-Image tripod from Pinnacle, and an ILCE-6400L camera courtesy of SONY, providing them with the necessary tools to continue their path to success in the audiovisual industry.
The winner will be announced on October 26 at IntegraTec Colombia in Bogota.
To see the finalists and vote for your favorite, click here.
