Directors
Franco Lolli
1983, Bogotá. Studied film at La Fémis in France. Directed the short films Como todo el mundo (2008 Grand Jury Prize, Clermont-Ferrand) and Rodri (2012 Director’s Fortnight). His opera prima Gente de bien premiered at the 2014 Cannes Critics’ Week and his second feature Litigante opened the same event in 2019. He is currently developing his third feature film, Nuestros niños. He founded Evidencia Films to produce his own films and those of other directors with powerful ideas and unique perspectives.
Mariana Saffon +
1988, Bogotá. A Columbia University MFA Graduate, winner of the Milos Forman Directing Fellowship and the Directors Guild of America Jury Student Award, her latest short film, Entre tú y Milagros won the Orizzonti award for best short film at the Venice International Film Festival, before being selected and awarded at more than thirty festivals around the world. She is currently developing her first feature film, Mar de Leva.
Duván Duque
1991, Cali. Studied film at CICE in Madrid. In 2016 and directed Tumaco (First Prize at Medellín Short Film Festival) and Paila (Best Screenplay and Best Actor at Bogoshorts). In 2019, his short film Masmelos was purchased by Arte and premiered at Guanajuato. His most recent short film, Todo incluido, competed in more than 70 festivals (Clermont-Ferrand, Havana, Palm Springs) and received more than 20 awards (Aspen, Hollyshorts, Versión Española). He is currently developing his debut feature, Nombre y Apellidos.
Salim Jaller
1997, Bogotá. Worked as a casting director and acting coach on close to thirty national and international productions, including some of the most acclaimed Colombian auteur films in recent years, such as Andrés Ramirez Pulido’s La Jauría, Franco Lolli’s Litigante or Juan Sebastián Quebrada’s El Otro Hijo. His first professional short film, Los Poderes, premiered as part of the Orizzonti competition at the 2026 Venice International Film Festival.
Carla Melo +
1993, Bogotá. Studied Visual Arts and Performing Arts at Javeriana University in Bogotá and Film at Torcuato di Tella University in Buenos Aires. Her thesis film, Por ahora un cuento, premiered at the Annecy Film Festival. Her first professional short film, La Perra, premiered in the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival, before going on to screen at around 200 international festivals and receiving over 5o awards and honorable mentions. She is currently developing a new animated short film untitled La Jorobada.
Juan Sebastián Quebrada
1987, Medellín. Studied at the Universidad del Cine in Buenos Aires and specialized at ESCAC in Barcelona. His thesis film, Días Extraños, premiered in the international competition at BAFICI 2015 before being selected and winning awards at festivals such as Munich, Toulouse, and Cartagena. His first professional short film, La Casa del Árbol, premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. His feature debut, El Otro Hijo, premiered in San Sebastián before being selected for more than 50 festivals around the world (Havana, Rome, Punta del Este…).
Simón Mesa Soto
1986, Medellín. Studied at Universidad de Antioquia and has a masters from the London Film School. His graduate project, Leidi, won the Palme d’Or for short films in 2014. Two years later, his first professional short film, Madre, was also included in the Official Selection at Cannes. His first feature film, Amparo premiered in competition of the 2021 Critics’ Week. His second feature film, Un poeta, won the Special Jury Prize of Un Certain regard at Cannes 2025.
Laura Huertas Millán +
1983, Bogotá. Studied at École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts and at Le Fresnoy in France before completing a doctorate at PSL University Research Paris and at Harvard’s Sensory Ethnography Lab. Her films, Sol Negro, La Libertad, El Laberinto and JÍIBIE, are hybrids combining fiction, documentary and ethnography and have been selected for festivals in Berlin, Toronto or Rotterdam and won awards at Locarno, FIDMarseille and DocLisboa. She was awarded the Nouveau Regard Prize AWARE 2024.
Tomás Pinzón
1991, Bogotá. Studied film direction at the Free Conservatory of French Cinema, in París, before earning a master’s degree in screenwriting at Columbia University (NYC). His first documentary feature film, La Paz, won the jury’s award for best documentary in Lima and the audience award in Cartagena de Indias. He also directed Lupita y las sirenas, a short film that premiered at the Guadalajara Film Festival. He is currently developing several fiction and documentary projects, including Las Candidatas.
Guillermo Moncayo
1979, Bogota. He studied at the Ecole Supérieure d’Art d’Aix-en-Provence and then at Le Fresnoy. His work moves between narrative and formal experimentation, through the juxtaposition of historico-political and personal events. His films, Echo Chamber and (Sin Asunto), which navigate the territory between fiction and experimental documentary, have been selected for major festivals such as New York, Indie Lisboa, Oberhausen, and CPH DOX. He is currently finishing the short film, Aurora borealis, while developing his debut feature, Mastodonte.
Jacques Toulemonde
1983, Bogotá. Screenwriter and Director. Directed the short film Un juego de niños, a winner at the Clermont-Ferrand Festival, before shooting his first feature film, Anna, nominated for a Goya award. Co-writer of El Abrazo de la Serpiente, nominated for Best Foreign Film at the Oscars, and Pájaros de Verano, which opened the Directors’ Fortnight in 2018. Wrote and directed the miniseries Camionero for Studio+, co-directed Frontera Verde and co-wrote Goles en contra, both for Netflix.
Pedro Pío
1984, Granada. Degree in Documentary Direction from Escuela Internacional de Cine de San Antonio de los Baños in Cuba, where he directed Maya (2010 Official Cannes Selection) and Perros. His first professional short film, La Niña de la Buseta, won Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actress at Bogoshorts in 2016 and his short film, Jauría, had its international premiere at Clermont-Ferrand and premiered nationally at the 2019 FICCI.