A WAY FOR TOMAS, 29min., Columbia
Directed by Andrés Ricaurte / Martín Agudelo Ramírez
Tomás, desperate, knocks insistently on the door of a lonely house. Nobody opens it. When he leaves the place, he sees some bushes moving and goes into a wooded path. Along the way, from his memories, he faces several episodes of fear in his life until he reaches the exit of the path, which takes him back to the door of the house. Tomás enters and talks with a woman (who represents death), at which point he decides to face his fears.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

A short story I did several years ago about the first time I felt afraid was the first step. This was the basis for writing the script for A way for Tomás. In addition, my love for the cinema, later, made possible the next step while I was training as a screenwriter. The story of a human being who must face his fears and his own guilt must follow a path that will finally allow him to know himself better and consider the possibility of transcending.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you
to make this film?
The script for A way for Tomás (A way for Tomás) was made in about ten months. In the company of a friend, Andrés Ricaurte Múnera, director, and the production company Punto 8 Entertainment, the rest of the process (pre-production, production and post-production) was developed, which took approximately another ten months. Music was the highlight of this process. My appreciation to Daniel Betancur and his colleagues from the extraordinary group La Banda del Bisonte.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Fighting fear

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
The low budget was the main obstacle. Making movies is not easy, however, the members of the production company Punto 8 Entertainment and with the support of Andrés Ricaurte (co-director) and Mateo Londoño (director of photography), this dream called A way for Tomás was able to come true.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking
about your film in the feedback video?
It has been very positive to receive such beautiful comments about the content of the short film, the performances, the music, the movements of the camera, and the contrasts made through the lighting. I am very grateful to the public, to viewers who feel identified with the emotions of a man who undertakes a dream journey, between shadows and lights, and in which it is necessary to fight against fear and overcome a past trapped by the lyrics of the law and the prescriptions.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films? Soy
When I wanted the paper to become a moving image; when I wanted a good part of my dreams to stay in a magical world of wonderful creativity such as cinema.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
Vertigo, film directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other
festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking
career?
Any support in the distribution process is very valuable to the filmmakers. In my case, I appreciate the critical reviews, the private and public presentations, as well as the references on the official pages of the festivals.

9. What is next for you? A new film?
I finished a feature film Sara, la fuerza del mar; a film made in the city of Medellín and the coastal zone of the Gulf of Urabá, in Colombia. We are waiting to distribute it through festivals. Now I am writing the script for my second feature film: Light in the sunset