\t\t\t\t\tJose Luis Rugeles and Ana Mar\u00eda Tarazona of Rhayuela Won Five Prizes for \u2018Rookies\u2019 \n\tAmongst documentary feature contenders, \u201cLa Sombra de Yol\u00fcja\u201d by Hanz Rippe Gabriel and Fernanda Pineda and \u201cDe la Villa\u201d by M\u00f3nica Taboada and Beto Rosero split the prizes.<\/p>\n \n\tMeanwhile, Agamen\u00f3n Quintero\u2019s \u201cDe naranjas y otros demonios\u201d snagged probably the most awards within the fiction feature section.<\/p>\n \n\tOrganized by Proim\u00e1genes Colombia and the Bogot\u00e1 Chamber of Commerce, BAM stays a key engine driving Latin America\u2019s audiovisual sector.<\/p>\n \n\tTIS Studios Opens Massive 18,300-Square-Foot<\/strong> Stage 7, VFX Firms Folks, Loma Expand Clientele<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tBAM took place just as TIS Studios, which has hosted a slew of high-profile projects, announced the opening of Stage 7, a brand new 18,300-square-foot soundstage, primed to host large-scale international film and TV productions.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tStage 7, TIS Studios<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n \n\t\u201cTIS Studios brings highly trained crews, international production standards and the protocols to administer large-scale projects, all backed by nearly three many years of delivering premium content,\u201d said Samuel Duque, president of TIS Studios. \u201cStage 7 adds to that foundation. Combined with Colombia\u2019s production incentives, it gives producers, showrunners and production studios around the globe yet one more reason to bring their most ambitious projects here.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe launch of Stage 7 marks the following phase in TIS Studios\u2019 expansion, constructing on nearly 30 years of production expertise and a track record of projects for major global platforms and networks including Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Paramount, CBS Studios, MTV, Fox Television Studios, Nickelodeon, NBCUniversal and Telemundo.<\/p>\n \n\tAt 18,300 square feet and 40 feet high, Stage 7 is Colombia\u2019s largest soundstage and one in all the largest in Latin America.<\/p>\n \n\tMeanwhile, VFX company Folks Bogot\u00e1<\/strong>, run by Andrea Espinal, has attracted a slew of international projects to its studio, lured by its highly competitive rates.<\/p>\n \n\tThe shows it has serviced include Netflix\u2019s epic \u201cOne Hundred Years of Solitude,\u201d Taylor Sheridan\u2019s \u201c1883\u201d and \u201cLioness\u201d (Seasons I and II), Rodrigo Prieto\u2019s directorial feature debut \u201cPedro P\u00e1ramo,\u201d AppleTV\u2019s \u201cThe Morning Show\u201d and survival horror pic \u201cBoi\u00fana: Legend of the Amazon,\u201d formerly titled \u201cTitan,\u201d which shot within the Colombian Amazon.<\/p>\n \n\tLaunched in 2019 under Espinal, Folks Bogot\u00e1 studio was established to harness Colombia\u2019s creative talent for high-end VFX productions. What began by supporting the Montreal team grew right into a full-service studio delivering visual effects for major Latin American and international titles.<\/p>\n \n\tOne other burgeoning VFX company, Loma,<\/strong> with deep roots as a family-owned rental equipment company, has expanded into the virtual production business. Its 200-square-meter virtual production studio combines custom LED volumes with real-time technologies including Unreal Engine, camera tracking and media servers to deliver in-camera VFX and prolonged reality (xR) productions.<\/p>\n \n\tRun by COO Francisco Forero, the Bogot\u00e1-based facility supports feature movies, series, commercials, live broadcasts and R&D projects, offering filmmakers a state-of-the-art environment for virtual production and next-generation visual effects workflows.<\/p>\n \n\tAmongst a number of the shows they’ve serviced are Netflix\u2019s fact-based skyjacking series \u201cThe Hijacking of Flight 601,\u201d SPT\u2019s \u201cHasta que amanezca\u201d and \u201cComo perderlo todo\u201d from Dago Prods. in addition to BAM\u2019s Vaiv\u00e9n,<\/em> a large-scale immersive audiovisual installation created by artist collective Project Aurora.<\/p>\n \n\tNot surprisingly, its biggest client, as is the case with TIS\u2019 and Folks,\u2019 is Netflix, which has continued to grow its slate in Colombia, recently tapping Ana Maria Londo\u00f1o as Head of Content in Bogot\u00e1.<\/p>\n \n\tVenezuelan Filmmaker Mariana Rond\u00f3n Reflects on \u2018All Her Nights Without Caracas\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tTaking the stage for her BAM Talk, Venezuelan filmmaker Mariana Rond\u00f3n reflected on her path to cinema, from her award-winning \u201cBad Hair\u201d (\u201cPelo malo\u201d) to her latest feature, \u201cIt Would Be Night in Caracas,\u201d produced by Edgar Ram\u00edrez.<\/p>\n \n\tRond\u00f3n revealed that her creative journey began with an unexpected fascination: genetics. She spent a decade developing her own \u201cgenetic laboratory\u201d through art, creating an installation that imagined transgenic beings and produced just 12 seconds of moving imagery. \u201cThat process transformed my understanding of cinema: powerful stories can begin with a picture, not only with a script,\u201d she said, emphasizing the emotional power of images to generate curiosity, wonder, and meaning.<\/p>\n \n\tThe Venezuelan exodus later reshaped her artistic focus. \u201cSeeing people walk from Venezuela all of the technique to Chile\u2014step-by-step, crossing borders on foot\u2014felt almost biblical,\u201d she said, describing a crisis that forced many, including herself, to rethink identity, belonging and the potential of imagining a future.<\/p>\n \n\tUnable to film \u201cIt Would Be Night in Caracas\u201d within the Venezuelan capital, Rond\u00f3n and her co-director Marit\u00e9 Ugas recreated town in Mexico, working with tons of of displaced Venezuelans. During scenes recreating protests, the boundary between fiction and reality collapsed. \u201cWe might call \u2018cut,\u2019 but there was no technique to stop,\u201d she recalled. Many participants were reliving their very own experiences, leading the production to supply psychological support.<\/p>\n \n\tUltimately, the film became an act of reconstruction \u2013\u00a0a technique to reconnect with a rustic many had lost and to explore identity through cinema. \u201cThat query of identity is at the center of why we make movies,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \n\tColombia\u2019s Film Boom Has a Sustainability Problem<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tA brand new industry study presented at BAM confirms the historic impact of Colombia\u2019s Film Law 814, which, through the Film Development Fund (FDC) and tax incentives, transformed the country right into a thriving production hub. Between 2015 and 2025, Colombia released 548 feature movies\u2014compared with roughly two per 12 months before 2003\u2014with public support and tax incentives financing greater than half of them and attracting around $160 million in private investment.<\/p>\n \n\tHowever the study also reveals a serious challenge: production growth has not translated into stronger firms. Only 25% of production houses supported by the FDC or tax incentives have returned for a second project, leaving 75% unable to construct long-term capability. With most firms operating with just two employees and cinema representing only a part of their revenue, the report warns that Colombia is successfully financing movies\u2014but not yet constructing sustainable film businesses.<\/p>\n \n\tThe study proposes 12 strategies to strengthen the ecosystem, including expanding funding tools, improving tax incentives, supporting distribution and promotion, and recognizing the operational costs needed to construct resilient production firms.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201c<\/strong>The study confirms the necessity for a more integrated approach to film policy. 26 years ago, the priority was to create Colombian movies. Today, those movies exist\u2014but their market share stays minimal, they usually are still not reaching audiences,\u201d said producer-director Cristina Gallego (\u201cBirds of Passage\u201d), who led the panel.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWe’d like to embrace technological change and incorporate it into financing strategies, moving beyond fragmented interests. Screenwriters, regional filmmakers, staff, festivals, producers, distributors, and public institutions\u2014including the ministries of culture, education, technology, and commerce\u2014all have a stake within the audiovisual sector, yet they often operate individually,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWith out a sustainable ecosystem that supports each firms\u2014production and distribution\u2014and the individuals who power the industry, long-term growth will remain not possible.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tTIS Studio\u2019s Recent Stage 7<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Colombia\u2019s Bogot\u00e1 Audiovisual Market (BAM) has wrapped its seventeenth Edition July 10 with an uptick in attendance. The numbers say all of it: 2,336 accredited participants and 271 industry activities and 882 one-on-one business meetings connecting chosen projects with a number of international guests, advisors and potential partners. \u201cBAM once more showed that Colombia has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":364726,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20669],"tags":[17592,34894,24285,22110,42,962,5660],"class_list":["post-364725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hollywood","tag-audiovisual","tag-bogota","tag-colombias","tag-guests","tag-international","tag-market","tag-touts"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t
Credit: Paul Cata\u00f1o<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-variety-2020\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
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