L’ATELIER DU FESTIVAL
EL CONCURSANTE
(THE CONTESTANT)
Directed by : Carlos OSUNA
- Year of production : 2015
- Country : Chile , Colombia , Chile , France
- Length : 95 minutes
Previous films : http://www.cinandovl.com/latelier2015
Synopsis
In 2011, a brand of seasonings decided to give away 2000 pressure cookers in exchange for 20 wrappers of their products. Our story takes place in Cartagena. Cristobal (24) an unemployed shy kind of guy starts to line up the night before because his mother wants that cooker so badly. He thinks he is at the beginning of the line but then we discover he is in the middle of it. 2 000 cookers were to be delivered nationwide, but in Cartagena alone, 12 000 people were in the queue at the break of the day. The story portrays the birth of a community within the line. Cristobal will make his way back and forth through the line picking up on the hopes and fears of those around him. Little by little people realize they will not get the cooker. The night falls and with it heavy clashes between the contestants and the police take place. A big riot breaks out. Cristobal is beaten, his clothes are full of blood but there he is smiling as he walks holding hands with a bunch of strangers as the city is torn to shreds behind him.
Statement
When I saw the news about the long line on TV, it surprised me how poetically it portrayed Colombia’s situation. The brand behind the promotion made a promise but underestimated both the emotional value it could generate in people and our levels of misery. The line suddenly became a 12 000 headed monster with emotions and reactions. In the end everything spiralled out of control. People did not complain about not getting the cooker, they protested their poverty the fact that they had been made fools of again. I am very interested in Cristobal, a young man with no direction who just spends time, unable to undertake, unemployed, unused to having expectations or dreams, he just survives. I tried to depict the dramatic lives of these individuals as seen through his eyes; as well as the need for destruction to generate an aimless revolution.
Credits
Carlos OSUNA - Director
Specifications
Language film :
Spanish
Working budget:
700 000 €
Financing acquired:
300 000 €
Contacts
Production
MALTA CINE SAS
Cr. 4 # 58-90 Of. 303
Bogota D.C.
COLOMBIA
- +57 32 0849 6419
Juan Mauricio
RUIZ
-
[email protected]
