Short Film Exhibition: QUEER CARTOGRAPHIES

As a major program addition to the inaugural London Colombian Film Festival, this curated short film showcase offers an intense, poetic, and subversive exploration of identity, desire, and resistance. Moving beyond traditional borders, Cartografías Queer maps out alternative topographies of Colombian life, challenging societal conformity and exploring ultimate personal liberation through diverse, avant-garde lenses.

This evening features five extraordinary short films from an emerging generation of visionary filmmakers:

• La perra (Directed by Carla Melo): A striking animated exploration of female desire and societal guilt. On the day her parents separated, an eleven-year-old girl received a dog, Conga, who became her accomplice and maternal anchor. As her body developed in Colombia's restrictive society, she sought security through toxic validation, enduring harassment while wrestling with overwhelming guilt. The film reflects on how society forces women to choose between being innocent girls, devoted mothers, or condemned outcasts.
• Vienen las grietas (Directed by Daniel Mateo Vallejo): A hypnotic narrative tracking a young woman named Keisi, who wakes up one morning with the obsession of escaping into the thick of nature that has been stalking her lately. While the art gallery she works for serves as her living nightmare, an exhibited photograph on display becomes her ultimate fantasy.
• El mundo es afuera (Directed by Pablo Roldán): A gentle, insightful character study. David is a shy sculptor who accepts a friend’s invitation to a summer house, thinking it might be the ideal place to read. Instead, David discovers far more than he bargained for—including the realization that the world truly exists when you step out of your protective bubble.
• Salsa (Directed by Antonina Kerguelén Román): A beautifully inclusive tale of freedom and rhythm. Margarita, a free-spirited salsa lover, leaves her marriage to escape societal prejudice and find her identity. At a beachside kiosk party, she meets Liana, a deaf tourist looking for freedom. Sensing a kindred spirit, Margarita teaches Liana to dance, transforming deafness into an opportunity for a unique, tactile connection where two different women break barriers to discover their true selves.
• Flores del otro patio (Directed by Jorge Cadena): A fierce, highly performative profile of environmental and social resistance. In the north of Colombia, a group of queer activists utilize extravagant, stylized performative actions to boldly denounce the disastrous exploitation carried out by the country's largest coal mine.

Short Description: The Official Selection & Festival Context

The Short Film Exhibition forms a vital laboratory within the first edition of the London Colombian Film Festival. Operating in perfect harmony with the festival's overarching general objective, this selection deliberately spotlights uncommon cinematographic narratives that move beyond the superficial, habitual global headlines of violence and drugs. By redirecting international attention toward the underlying magic, deep resilience, immense talent, and creative dreams at the core of the culture, the program uncovers a richer, far more complex portrait of the nation's identity.

This screening perfectly anchors the festival's defining theme: "Celebrating Diversity of Voices." Rather than sticking to conventional narrative structures, Cartografías Queer proudly amplifies the perspectives of LGBTQ+ creators, women, and marginalized communities who use the short film format to dismantle corporate and societal homogenization. It stands as a striking testament to the extraordinary aesthetic maturity of contemporary Colombian creators, proving that the national film industry possesses the creative courage to champion highly innovative, inclusive perspectives on the global stage.

Join us at Instituto Cervantes for a visually spectacular and deeply moving journey that challenges the status quo and celebrates the beautiful diversity of Colombian storytelling!