For the first time in its history, the Fribourg International Film Festival (FIFF) has chosen a South American country – Colombia – as the focus of its New Territory section. Some 20 years ago, the Colombian film industry experienced a major reversal of fortunes, which ushered in an extraordinary cinematic renaissance. The ten features and six shorts in the New Territory line-up were chosen with the help of Swiss-Colombian director Jorge Cadena and will be screened at the 40th edition of FIFF from 20th to 29th March 2026, with Colombian filmmakers in attendance. The full Festival programme will be available from 4th March 2026.
Colombia is the first South American country to be the subject of the New Territory section. "We wait until there is an exciting shift, a watershed in a country's filmmaking landscape before we choose to spotlight it", explains Thierry Jobin, artistic director of FIFF. Hence, this year's choice of Colombian cinema, which has experienced a phenomenal upswing since the 'Film Law' came into effect in 2003. This legislation aims to support filmmaking, production, diversity and the international visibility of Colombia's cinematic output. For Swiss-Colombian filmmaker Jorge Cadena, programmer at FILMAR en América Latina Festival (Geneva) and curator of this year's New Territory section, the last 20 years were a period of artistic reconstruction. It brought the decades-long marginalisation of Colombian cinema to an end: "Our approach to filmmaking was heavily influenced by Europe, North America and local telenovelas. We seized the opportunity to reclaim it, create a cinematic language of our own, and paint a much more accurate picture of our country that captures its energy and rebellious spirit." For many years, the public perception of Colombia was confined to drug trafficking and its capital, Bogotá. Since 2003, filmmakers have turned their cameras on indigenous peoples, the queer community and women, offering a more complex picture of their history and identity. A metaphor for this period of artistic reconstruction can be found in Colombian features depicting young people in search of the promised land. These include Orlando Culzat's Golán (2024) and Los reyes del mundo (2022), a subversive road movie about five rootless teenagers directed by Laura Mora Ortega (also known for the Netflix series Cien años de soledad).
FIFF will also screen one of Colombian cinema's biggest national and international successes: Un poeta (2025) by Simón Mesa Soto. With more than 100,000 tickets sold to date, this dark tragicomedy is a box office smash in Colombia. This is no mean feat for homegrown arthouse filmmaking, which tends to be overlooked in favour of American blockbusters and TV-inspired comedies. Un poeta has gone on to win a clutch of international awards, including the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at Cannes and the Reflet d'Or for Best Feature Film at the Geneva International Film Festival (GIFF).
Colombia is also one of the most creative countries in Latin America when it comes to documentary filmmaking. Anhell69 (2022) by Theo Montoya is a powerful queer essay film on joy, grief and lust for life. In Alis (2022), by Clare Weiskopf and Nicolás van Hemelryck, young women living in a boarding school for vulnerable minors reveal their wounds and dreams on camera. The New Territory line-up of the 40th edition of FIFF also offers a short film programme, including Flores del otro patio (2022), directed by the section curator.
For Thierry Jobin, "Some of the images are dark and tragic, but also life-affirming, combative, colourful and vibrant", adding, "This year's New Territory section is a mosaic of different energies and stories, making it the perfect fit for our anniversary edition." This collective communicative power will be on full display not only in films but in events with Colombian filmmakers during the first weekend of the Festival.
NEW TERRITORY: COLOMBIA
Feature Films
- Alis, Clare Weiskopf, Nicolás van Hemelryck, 2022
- Anhell69, Theo Montoya, 2022
- Golán, Orlando Culzat, 2024
- Malta, Natalia Santa, 2024
- La otra forma, Diego Felipe Guzman, 2022
- El otro hijo, Juan Sebastián Quebrada, 2023
- La piel en primavera, Yennifer Uribe Alzate, 2024
- Un poeta, Simón Mesa Soto, 2025
- Los reyes del mundo, Laura Mora Ortega, 2022
- Yo vi tres luces negras, Santiago Lozano Álvarez, 2024
Short Films
- Bogotá Story, Esteban Pedraza, 2023
- Estamos en el mapa, Santiago Rodríguez Cárdenas, 2024
- La Perra, Carla Melo Gampert, 2023
- Sukua, Omar E. Ospina Giraldo, 2025
- Un día de mayo, Camilo Escobar Henao, 2024
- Flores del otro patio, Jorge Cadena, 2022
FIFForum
- Roundtable discussion with Colombian directors
Cultural projects
- A number of events with a Colombian focus will be held between 9th and 19th March 2026 in the Fribourg Centre shopping centre.
The full programme of the 40th FIFF (20h–29th March) will be unveiled on 4th March 2026.
Flores del otro patio, Jorge Cadena (2022)
