Colombia Reports

Two Colombian films, 1989 and  the Wind Journeys, were selected to compete in the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. The festival runs from May 13-24.

With a running time of only 40 minutes, it is a wonder why 1989 was chosen for the festival's 48th Annual Critics' Week given that films in this category are required to be at least 60 minutes long.

"The movie is very different because of the format, length, the way it was filmed. Honestly, none of us expected this," said Camilo Matiz, the film's director, writer, and producer.

Colombia's other film, Wind Journeys, is competing for the Un Certain Regard prize, a category created to recognize young talent and innovative works. The prize is usually given to first-time directors.

"We are in a privileged position. Just being selected is an award in itself," said producer Cristina Gallego, who spent four years working on the project with director Ciro Guerra. Filming took place in 80 locations and 100 local people served as actors.

Guerra's Wind Journeys is about a troubadour who travels with his apprentice across Colombia to give a cursed accordion back to his teacher. "The film is about dreams, about learning, about artistic sacrifice, about looking for our place in this world. It touches upon matters that pertain to all human beings, but it does it from our perspective, from our experience, our culture, our wealth, things not very often developed upon in cinematography," affirmed Guerra.

The last time Colombia competed in Cannes was 11 years ago with Víctor Gaviria's 'Rodrigo D: No Future'  and 'The Rose Seller' in 1998. Both films competed for the Golden Palm but didn't win.

Wind Journeys will open in theaters in Colombia May 1.