By Lorena Ramírez-López
Last night, the Paraguayan documentary 108 / Cuchillo de Palo by Renate Costa was screened once again in New York City at the Exit Art gallery in midtown Manhattan, featuring a Skype conversation with the filmmaker afterwards. Costa pays homage to her late uncle, Héctor Rodolfo Costa Torres, as she investigates and reconstructs his life
Matthew Freundlich, programmer of the ‘Digimovies’ series at Exit Art moderated the conversation with the filmmaker, which had a surprise guest as the director's father Pedro Costa (no relation to the famed Portuguese director), who is featured in the documentary, stopped by the conversation to answer few questions. In the Q&A Costa mentioned that it was very difficult making the film: “There’s a section of my family I can no longer talk to because of it. It is not easy, but there’s an acceptance because it’s a human film”, she said.
Her father commented how this documentary has allowed his relationship with his daughter to grow, and how it helped relate them to each other and their friends. It allowed many people from not only the family, but also the neighborhood to remember and relate to the event. Renate Costa gave a sneak peek to her new short film project, Resistance about a mystic premiering in July. Her focus on the human portrayal is humble and inspiring as it gives a new platform for Paraguayan cinema to stand on.
Picture: the Skype conversation with Paraguayan director Renate Costa last night at Exit Art. Picture by Lorena Ramírez-López.
