Bad Lucky Goat by Samir Oliveros
Bad Lucky Goat, the debut feature by Samir Oliveros and Miss Maria, Skirting the Mountain / Señorita María, la falda de la montaña by Rubén Mendoza were the top winners at the 6th edition of the Colombian Film Festival of New York. Bad Lucky Goat was the winner of the Ritual Piece Award for Best Film, Señorita María was the winner of the Ritual Piece Award for Best Documentary as well as the Jury Prize, while Damiana by Andrés Ramírez Pulido, received the award for the Best Short Film.
In Bad Lucky Goat, after accidentally killing a bearded goat with their father’s truck, two incompatible siblings in their teenage years, embark on a journey of reconciliation. Corn and Rita must find a way to repair the truck in time to pick up the tourists that will be staying at the family’s hotel. As they struggle to find the means necessary to conceal the accident, the siblings will visit a butcher, rastafari drum makers, a pawn shop and even a witch doctor, in a 24-hour adventure around Port Paradise.
Set in Boavita, a rural, conservative, and Catholic village embedded in the Andes and frozen in time, Señorita María tells the story of Miss María Luisa, who is 45 years old and was born a boy. Behind what appears to be just another life mired in gender and identity conflicts lies a bitter, unimaginable family history, its deepest roots seasoned with hatred. And the scapegoat in this story has always been our Miss, even before she set foot in this world. And yet her power is fueled by these same forces—the strength of animals and the mountain. No darkness has ever been able to topple or eclipse her.
The Audience Award of the Colombian festival was presented to the documentary film Ciro & Yo by Miguel Salazar. Special mentions were awarded to the short films The Jungle Knows You Better Than You Do by Juanita Onzaga and La casa del árbol by Juan Sebastián Quebrada.
This year's jury was composed by the cinematographer Ed Lachman, film programmer Nicole Guillemet, Cinema Tropical's Carlos Gutierrez, Bryce Norbitz and José Rodriguez, both from the Tribeca Film Institute and Caryn Coleman, programmer of Nitehawk Cinema.
The 6th edition of the Colombian Film Festival of New York took place March 22 -25 at the Cinépolis Chelsea, and exhibited 32 films in total.
