The community filmmaking training, production, and distribution lab Historias en Kilómetros (HEK), presents the second edition of its Historias en Kilómetros International Community Film Festival (FICC-HEK SOUTHtoSOUTH).
From September 3rd to 25th, FICC-HEK will take place in six cities in the global south, in four locations in Colombia (Tumaco, Nariño; Tierra Grata, Cesar; Cereté, Córdoba; Ibagué, Tolima) and two international refugee camps (Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh; and Kakuma, Kenya).
The hosts will be LA ROTATIVA, VISIÓN JOVEN, MAREA PRODUCCIONES, COCOSUR, THE KAMP, and AÁRAR PRODUCTIONS.
This transcontinental celebration of the transformative power of community filmmaking will launch on July 15th at the Bogotá Audiovisual Market (BAM) and on July 17th at the Center for Memory, Peace, and Reconciliation in Bogotá.
FICC-HEK SOUTHtoSOUTH will be a vibrant and transnational space to celebrate the transformative power of community cinema for peacebuilding, cultural and peaceful resistance, and the defense of the environment and biodiversity.
This festival’s slogan is “a party to believe again,” and is conceived as a bridge for intercultural dialogue between Colombia, Asia, and Africa, bringing together filmmakers and communities to enhance indigenous narratives and empower those who have traditionally been marginalized from conventional exhibition circuits.
This event is made possible thanks to the support of the Austrian Embassy, the cooperation program of the Irish Embassy, the Cultural and Scientific Council of the Spanish Embassy, the Goethe Institute, and the NGOs Perspective Fund and Community Arts Networks. It also receives regional support from universities such as the National University, La Paz campus, the University of Tolima, and the University of Nariño. It also has the support of the Secretariat of Culture of Cereté, as well as social organizations and collectives that have made this second edition possible.
A route through six destinations: unity and diversity in action.
FICC-HEK SOUTHtoSOUTH will not be held in a single venue, but will follow a transcontinental route connecting six locations, each with community film production companies that have gone through the Historias en Kilómetros (Kilometer Stories) training process. The teams, in addition to hosting and co-organizing the festival, will also be part of the curatorial team. This hybrid structure ensures that the festival adapts to the needs and specificities of each community, making it a unique experience.
FICC-HEK SOUTHtoSOUTH stands as the seed of a transcontinental network of allies and narrative leaders, aimed at defending the physical, cultural, and spiritual territory of the peoples of the Global South. Its objectives include connecting and strengthening filmmakers from geographically remote locations, yet closely related in their social and environmental struggles.
WHO IS COMMUNITY CINEMA MADE FOR IF NOT FOR THE SAME COMMUNITIES WHERE THE FILMS ORIGINATE?
THE FIRST AUDIENCE FOR ALL THE SHORT FILMS PRODUCED WITHIN THE HEK TRAINING LAB ARE THE FAMILIES, NEIGHBORS, AND PROTAGONISTS OF THE FILMED STORIES. FOR THIS REASON, WE HAVE BROUGHT GIANT SCREENS TO MORE THAN 15 COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO PREMIERE THESE AUDIOVISUAL WORKS.
FROM THAT FIRST STEP, WE ALSO AIM TO:
– FIND MORE PLATFORMS TO SHOWCASE THE SHORTS AND SHARE OUR PROCESSES.
– REACH NEW AUDIENCES AND BELIEVERS IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF COMMUNITY CINEMA.
– RAISE AWARENESS OF THE INHERENT LOGIC OF COMMUNITY CINEMA.
THIS IS WHY WE ARE CONSTANTLY SEEKING NEW PARTNERSHIPS WITH FESTIVALS, CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS, CIVIL AND SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS, AND ANYONE WHO BELIEVES IN AND SHARES THE VALUES OF COMMUNITY CINEMA.
IN 2023, WE AIM TO BRING TOGETHER ALL COMMUNITY CINEMA PRODUCTION COMPANIES FOR THE FIRST EDITION OF THE HEK SERRANÍA DEL PERIJÁ INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY CINEMA FESTIVAL (FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE CINE COMUNITARIO HEK SERRANÍA DEL PERIJÁ).
