Hijos de la Paz

Wars produce numbers. Be it numbers of years, numbers of bullets fired, numbers of wounded, numbers of dead... These numbers are important, but they quantify the horrors of conflicts often making it hard to emphasise with those affected.

Hijos de la Paz is a film from the people, for the people. In a journey across Colombia, we want to give the voice to the people, those who have experienced the horrors of the war first-hand and whose stories have been shaped by events of violence. We want to give people opportunity to tell their stories, and for our audiences to hear voices behind the numbers.

WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT IMPORTANCE OF RECONCILIATION AND PEACEBUILDING

Colombia’s narrative of building peace is important and worth telling. In a world, where deadly wars continue to rage in so many of its corners, it is crucial to recount stories that echo hope and progress. To tell stories that can be an example for others.

World’s history has seen conflicts that had come and gone, but without offering the population ways to heal. The wounds are often covered up and infected with ideas that propel repetition.

The regular people and their journeys to find a reconciliation from wounds of conflict are the foundation of Hijos de la Paz, but they are also the foundation of the greater story that is Colombia’s peacebuilding.

Hijos de la Paz begins with actor and psychotherapist Hector Aristizabal, once tortured by the Colombian military, who returns to Colombia after thirty years in exile. He travels to communities across the country, who have been victimised by the armed conflict. There, he organizes workshops in which theatre and psychotherapy combine into Theatre for Reconciliation, and where different stories begin to emerge and wounds of war are uncovered. As Hector continues his journey through Colombia's cities and villages, the film becomes a web of stories bound by a common theme of seeking reconciliation.

Our goal is to spotlight stories from groups innately disadvantaged by their social status: women, children, Afro-Colombians, the LGBTQ communty, as well as Colombia’s indigenous.

HOW DID EVERYTHING BEGIN?

Telling a story set in the vastness and diversity of South America has always been our aspiration. We heard Hector’s in May 2017, and that’s when a seed was planted in our minds which concluded with a trip to Colombia in August 2017.

There, we began exploring and meeting with various communities. We listened to stories of victims, and ex-combatants. And we also built important relationships.

Our time in Colombia was short but invaluable. It not only confirmed our narrative deliberations, but it also flagged the societal need and willingness for telling this part of the history to a wider audience.

WHERE ARE WE GOING NEXT?

The funds raised will allow us to return to Colombia and continue our development work on-ground, but we will also bring along a multi-talented team to help us realise and capture initial material!

During our trip, we will explore the previously unseen landscapes of rural Colombia; those places where conflict has inflicted the deepest wounds and where the population continues to face extreme adversities.

Accompanied by Luciana Riso, a Colombian cinematographer, we will begin to structure the beginnings of our narratives and then use the footage to garner further funding.

WHERE WILL THE MONEY GO?

ABOUT THE PERKS

¿Qué pasa, parce? The perks of this project pay tribute to the culture and language of different regions in Colombia, words that we liked, were surprised by and are now part of our vocabulary. A little piece of the documentary will be yours as these perks are very close to the subject of the film.

Among many perks, you'll find Héctor Aristizábal's book The Blessing Next to the Wound, one of our protagonists: Shockingly honest, heartbreaking, and vibrantly told, this book is a passionate and evocative memoir that, amid enormous suffering and loss, is a full-throated affirmation of life.

Or for example, a unique print by the Bogotan artist called Ledania,

whose murals and urban art are known worldwide. We're preparing something very cool with her and we're glad to count with one of her exclusive prints for this campaign.

All perks will be dealt with after the shooting period in summer 2018. All reasonable shipping costs are included.

WHO ARE WE?

We are a multinational team of film industry professionals, each bringing a unique perspective to the table. What we share is a deep passion for the subject and a drive to interrogate the documentary form. We are a Catalan-Colombian production.

DÍDAC PÉREZ

Director/Producer
www.didac-perez.com
Instagram

Born in Barcelona, Dídac started filming about stigmas, local heroes and social change in Copenhagen working for Catalan TV. As a graduate of Media and Communications, he moved to London to pursue a career in documentaries. His experimental doc My Grindr Story (2016) was selected at the LGBT ZeFestival in Côte D'Azur, and the Los Angeles Cinefest. In 2017, he directed Cracking the Whip exploring female empowerment and sexual expression. After working with BAFTA award-winning director Tristan Anderson at Film Mode, he continues to seek out stories challenging the state of humanity.

KUBA SOBIESKI

Creative Director/producer
Vimeo
Instagram

Based in London, Kuba is a Polish-born director-producer. He works across documentary and fiction, with a passion for captivating and impactful stories, that are visually equally meaningful. His recent work includes a music promo for Sparks (US), as well as a micro-short selected for TIFF x Instagram Shorts 2016 Festival which IndieWire singled out as one of festival’s best.

LUCIANA RISO

Cinematographer
www.lucianariso.com

Luciana has developed her skills as a cinematographer working in short films, documentaries, commercials and TV series. She has climbed her way up the ladder, starting in Barcelona working in rental houses and crewing for all sorts of productions, especially advertisements. She continued her progress in Colombia where she began shooting as a DOP and camera operator. In 2013 she was awarded a place on the Berlin Talent Campus and in 2014 the NFTS welcomed her to study a Cinematography MA. Today, as a graduate she resides and works in London.

EVA PAUNÉ

Development Producer

After graduating in Audiovisual Communication at the Pompeu Fabra and specializing in screenwriting in Los Angeles, Eva joined Alhena Productions in Barcelona where she leads production and creative development of projects, from story development through to the design of dossiers and funding grant applications. She is currently working on the post-production of her first short film as a writer-director, La mala Fe. Simultaneously she has received a grant from the Government of Catalonia to develop a feature film Each of us with Mirjam Ziegler.

ALHENA PRODUCTION
www.alhena.cat

Alhena is a young and brave audiovisual production company, based in Barcelona and created in 2012 by the executive producer Norbert Llaràs. In Alhena we’re committed to the production of films and authentic audiovisual products; we believe in creating content with its own identity and international spirit.

We want our productions to be intellectual tools that allow people to not only survive but also live and coexist better.

MAKING DOCS
MakingDocs.org

Making Docs led by Diana Kuellar and other film professionals is a cultural institution whose goal is the production, promotion and education about the documentary film while serving as a bridge between Europe and Latin America. MakingDocs will assist and guide across South and Latin American financing; including Fondo al Desarrollo Cinematográfico, funds from Proimágenes and Programa Ibermedia.

Last but not lest THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU