Pirotecnia

Feb 16 2020 N/A 1h 23m
Documentary, History

On 6 March 1906, four men were executed for the attempted murder of Colombian president Rafael Reyes. The event was photographed, and the photos were later used for a fictionalised film on the failed coup. From then on, cinema in this South American country has been inextricably linked to its violent history. Moving images have been used for historiography, propaganda, disinformation and to instil unity in a nation that refuses to come together. Falsos positivos, murdered youths disguised as guerrillas by the army to simulate military success, are a common element.

Plot

While a director makes a film about this the origins of Cinema in Colombia, suddenly, his mother, apparently suffers a strange mental disease: without explanation she stops talking. This situation forces him to stop his film and starts recording his mother's everyday activity, trying to understand what possibly is happening to her. The director decides to revisit his family's past and finds a video footage of a children's theater play, shot by his mother, in which he himself acts as a false guerrilla fighter. This discovery brings him back to his original film and leads him to find the relationship that exists between the origins of Colombian cinema and what the media called "falsos positivos" a painful recent even in which it was found out that the army killed innocent youngsters and dressed then up as guerrilla fighters to give the impression they were winning the armed conflict.

Written by

Sonia Ariza, Federico Atehortúa Arteaga, Jerónimo Atehortúa Arteaga

Directed by

Federico Atehortúa Arteaga

Cast

Aracelly Arteaga, Carlos Atehortúa

Crew

View crew

Production Countries

Colombia

Production Companies

Invasión Cine

Languages

Español

Awards

3 nominations

Trailers
Pirotecnia - Trailer | IFFR 2019
Scores
# of Votes
150
Average Rating
6.8 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA