The Other Son by Juan Sebastián Quebrada
The Colombian Academy of Cinematography Arts and Sciences announced yesterday the nominations for the 2024 edition of the Macondo Awards, celebrating the best of the country’s cinema. Leading the nominations are The Other Son / El otro hijo by Juan Sebastián Quebrada and Ruben’s Bolero / El bolero de Rubén by Juan Carlos Mazo, with seven nominations each.
The Other Son nabbed nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Lead Actor, Best Lead Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Editing, and Best Screenplay. Meanwhile, Ruben’s Bolero was nominated for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Lead Actor, Best Lead Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Sound. The two other films competing for Best Picture are La Suprema by Felipe Holguín Caro and I Saw Three Black Lights / Yo vi tres luces negras by Santiago Lozano.
Quebrada’s auspicious second feature is an emotionally charged, semi-autobiographical coming-of-age drama that delicately explores themes of grief and hope. The film follows Federico and his brother Simon, who enjoy their teenage years until Simon’s tragic death from a balcony fall at a party. Amidst his family’s turmoil, Federico tries to maintain normalcy while struggling to grieve and finds solace in bonding with Simon’s girlfriend.
Ruben’s Bolero tells the story of Marta to the rhythm of boleros. After fifteen years of waiting for her boyfriend to get out of prison, she is consumed by the walls of her half-finished house and her lost dream of being a singer, leading her through imaginary passages that reflect her frustration, anger, and fear.
The four films competing for Best Documentary Feature are Diana Bustamante’s Our Movie / Nuestra película, Gabriela Domínguez’s Raíces azules, Yira Paola Plaza’s El rojo más puro, and Catalina Villar’s Ana Rosa. In the Ibero-American Feature competition, the following films were nominated: Society of the Snow / La sociedad de la nieve by J. A. Bayona from Spain, Behind the Mist / Al otro lado de la niebla by Sebastián Cordero from Ecuador, The Settlers / Los colonos by Felipe Gálvez from Chile, and Toll / Pedágio by Carolina Markowicz from Brazil.
The winners of this year’s Macondo Awards will be announced at a ceremony on November 3 in Bucaramanga.
