Jende Ri Palenque + El vuelco del cangrejo (Crab Trap)

Jende Ri Palenge

D: Santiago Posada, Simón Mejía

Documentary, Colombia 2008, 38 min, English subtitles

In San Basilio de Palenque, the first settlement ever founded by escaped slaves in the Americas, a recording studio is set up for the first time. The sessions begin, with performances by the 85-year-old healer Sikito, who has composed more than 100 songs in his lifetime; the blind messenger Panamá, who only composes verse in Palenquero; Leonel Torres and his "Las Estrellas". And an entire Afro-Colombian village community.

El Vuelco del Cangrejo (Crab Trap)

D: Oscar Ruíz Navia

Feature, Colombia / France 2009, 95 min, English subtitles

This movie received the award for best debut film at the Havana Film Festival, with the jury describing it as "A story like a journey into a world that is disappearing from the reality of Columbia." Walking a thin line between fiction and documentary, the film portrays a conflict between the Afro-Colombian inhabitants of La Barra on the Pacific coast and an acquisitive landlord. At issue is the eviction of the village residents for the construction of a new hotel – but it’s also about more – about the arrival of global modernity.