Ranked among the most biodiverse countries in the world, Colombia stands out for its extraordinary range of ecosystems, spanning deserts, highland páramos, vast plains, tropical rainforests, and coral reefs. This diversity is also reflected in its vibrant and multicoloured film production, which ranges from political thrillers set in major urban centres to comedies and dramas unfolding in small towns and at the remote edges of the country.

If we travel across Colombia from north to south, we first reach its insular Caribbean territories, where the archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina opens a cinematic window onto island life framed by coral reefs, Creole culture, and the rhythms of the sea. In this setting, “Bad Lucky Goat” captures with humour and subtlety the everyday realities of insular life, following two siblings whose accidental misadventure unfolds against a landscape shaped by resilience, and cultural hybridity.

From the islands, the journey continues to the northern mainland, where the desert landscapes of La Guajira, homeland of the Wayuu people, provide the setting for “Birds of Passage” (Pájaros de Verano). The film offers a powerful glimpse into the complex relationship between the Wayuu community and the broader processes of national transformation, while also portraying the stark beauty and tension of Colombia’s Caribbean frontier.

Further inland, the country’s cinematic gaze turns toward Bogotá, a city of contrasts where memory, social transformation, and everyday resilience shape urban life. In this setting, “Dear Gentlemen” (Estimados Señores), featured in last year’s edition of the LASFF, revisits a defining chapter in Colombia’s contemporary history through the story of women challenging political exclusion and advocating for their right to participate fully in public life. Through a sensitive and deeply human narrative, the film portrays a historic Bogotá of the early 1950s not only as the political heart of the country, but also as a space where social struggles, civic aspirations, and collective change continue to shape Colombian society.

Further south, the gaze turns toward the Amazon region, a territory where geography and mythology are deeply intertwined. “Embrace of the Serpent” (El Abrazo de la Serpiente) offers a profound exploration of this world, following parallel journeys across time in which Indigenous knowledge, colonial encounters, and ecological fragility converge. The film is both a visual and philosophical meditation on the Amazon as a living archive of memory, resistance, and cultural survival.

In this year’s edition of the LASFF, Colombia’s featured film “A Poet” (Un poeta), is a reflective and deeply human story situated in the city of Medellín. The film explores the life of a man whose obsession with poetry becomes both a refuge and a burden. Through understated storytelling and a sensitive portrayal of intergenerational encounters, the film invites audiences to reflect on the meaning of artistic vocation, loneliness, and the search for dignity in everyday life. Medellín plays an important role in the film, emerging as a complex urban landscape marked by contrasts, ongoing gentrification, and a vibrant cultural renaissance. The city becomes a silent yet powerful presence that brings together the film’s main characters, transcending their different social and cultural backgrounds.

Through the inclusion of this film in the 24th Edition of the LASFF, Colombia presents a piece of its contemporary cinema attempting to reinforce a growing cultural bridge with New Zealand, where audiences continue to engage with Latin American stories with curiosity, empathy, and openness.