EL AMPARO
Venezuela, Colombia 2016 | 99 mins
Spanish with English subtitles
Director: Rober Calzadilla
Monday, Aug 28
7:00 PM | The Cinematheque
Wednesday, Aug 30
9:00 PM | The Cinematheque
On the border of Venezuela and Colombia during the late 1980s, two fishermen survive an armed assault in the channels of the Arauca River, in which fourteen of their companions disappear. The Army accuses the survivors of being guerrilla fighters and tries via intimidation to seize them from the cell where they are being watched over by the local police officer and by the village population, who are desperate to prevent them from being taken away. Rober Calzadilla’s hauntingly dramatic film—based on a real historical event—explores the tensions that arise when a community is confronted by tragedy and the truth is not clear on any side.
“This is the kind of story of injustice that always needs telling and which can easily be made to stand for similar tales of injustice elsewhere.” Jonathan Holland, THR
En la frontera de Venezuela con Colombia, a finales de los 80, dos hombres sobreviven a un ataque armado perpetrado en los caños del Río Arauca, donde catorce de sus compañeros mueren en el acto. El ejército los acusa de guerrilleros y, a través de intimidación, intenta sacarlos de la celda donde son custodiados por un policía y por la gente del pueblo, que trata desesperadamente de impedir que se los lleven. Ellos dicen que son simples pescadores, pero las presiones para ceder ante la versión oficial son abrumadoras.
Producers: Marianela Illas
Writer: Karin Valecillos
Cinematographer: Michell Rivas
Editors: Gustavo Rondón Cordova, Mariana Rodríguez
Cast: Vicente Quintero, Giovanny García, Vicente Peña, Samantha Castillo, Rossana Hernandez, Tatiana Mabo
Rober Calzadilla is an actor, screenwriter and director. He trained at the Juana Sujo School of Performing Arts and, in film, at the Central University of Venezuela School of the Arts. In 2013 he wrote, directed and edited the medium length film El país de abril, an experimental piece in black and white co-produced with Portugal. The project giving rise to El Amparo participated in the Films in Progress section of the San Sebastian Festival in 2015.