Colombian director Theo Montoya has been announced as one of six writer-directors selected for the 48th annual edition of the Résidence program for first- and second-time filmmakers. The program, which runs from October 1, 2024, to February 15, 2025, offers filmmakers a place of residence in the heart of Paris, along with a personalized scriptwriting mentorship and a series of forums with film industry professionals.
Born in Medellín in 1992, Montoya is a director, cinematographer, and producer. He founded and directs Desvio Visual, a production house dedicated to experimental films and documentaries. His first short film, Son of Sodom (2020), was part of the Official Short Film Selection at the 2020 Cannes Film Festival and screened at numerous festivals worldwide. The film won several awards, including the Grand Prix at the Drama Film Festival in Greece, Best Documentary at Interfilm Berlin, and a Special Jury Mention in Clermont-Ferrand's Labo Competition.
Montoya's debut feature, Anhell69, premiered at Venice Critics’ Week and was featured in many prestigious international festivals, such as IDFA, SXSW, and Frameline. It is a hybrid and transgressive portrait of a young, queer generation in a Colombia marked by violence and repression, told as a real-life ghost story in atmospheric and morbid images. The film was named one of the 25 Best Latin American Films of the Year by Cinema Tropical.
Since its launch in 2000, the Résidence program has welcomed over 270 filmmakers from more than 60 countries, including notable names like Lucrecia Martel (Argentina), Lukas Dhont (Belgium), Corneliu Porumboiu (Romania), and Hungarian directors László Némes and Kornel Mundruczó.
