Bogotá Story
2023 · 16m · Colombia, United States
Directed by Esteban Pedraza
Genres: drama
Tones: melancholic, tender
Set in 1992 Bogotá during Colombia's era of drug violence, car bombs, and daily power outages, a young mother receives an internship opportunity in New York and must choose between her dreams and her family.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
16mm period nostalgia about Mom's choice between dreams and family — New Yorker Screening Room means it's beautifully shot and emotionally legible to the point of being predictable. The car bombs are scenery.
Pedraza's nostalgic 16mm Bogota carries a New Yorker imprimatur and the right formal weight for memory-cinema in the Cuaron-Mendoza tradition. A semi-autobiographical project of evident care.
The New Yorker hosting it at 15:40 with 35.7K views and a companion essay tells you the magazine vouched for the 16mm period work and the personal lineage. Recreating 1992 Bogotá on film stock for a story you don't personally remember is a delicate act of imagined memory that usually pays off when the texture is right.
Reviews
Writer/director Esteban Pedraza crafts an intimate portrait of a woman facing a dilemma, effectively immersing viewers in her life through a nostalgic, almost souvenir-like storytelling approach that grounds the story with compelling authenticity.
Intimately captures the deeply conflicted feelings of a young mother toward her family and her homeland. Announces Esteban Pedraza as an exciting new voice in international cinema.
Festivals
- Venice Film Festival 2023
- Palm Springs International ShortFest 2024, Best of Fest
- SFFILM Festival, Best Narrative Short
- Bogoshorts, Best Actress, Best Actor
- Queens World Film Festival
- Huesca International Film Festival