An important month for filmmakers trained in Colombia

The summer box office season is usually filled with blockbuster-type milestones, but this July, Columbia University’s film program introduces one of its own. Four international filmmakers (and MFA alumni) are hitting theaters for the first time this month.

The list includes Natalie Álvarez Messini clean aloneAntonetta Alamat Kusianovichi rodentMunya Aklis Costa Brava, Lebanonand Ana Guto paradise highway. The final film, about a truck driver who reluctantly agrees to smuggle in an illegal cargo (a girl), stars Juliette Binoche, Morgan Freeman, Cameron Monaghan and Frank Grillo. Also Noteworthy: Columbia Graduate Eli Fumbi’s First Feature Film Our father the devil won the Audience Award at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York last month.

Jack Lechner, film director at Columbia University’s School of the Arts, says that every film that is made and distributed “is like a beacon for everyone else”, and these four have achieved something that “make those around them shine.” . Lechner adds: “We are very proud. It’s time to remind them that this process really works, and we’re sending filmmakers out into the world to be competitive and fulfill their artistic ambitions.”

Annette Insdorf, a professor of film at Columbia University, is equally excited about the graduates. “It was a pleasure to have Nathalie Alvarez Messen, Antonetta Alamat Kusianovic, Munia Akli and Ana Guto teaching my course “Analysis of Cinematic Language”. They came to the CU School of Art from different countries,” he adds, “and each found their own voice and went on to create a story that was personal and resonant.

rodent, which took home the Camera d’Or for Best First Feature Film at the Cannes Film Festival, centers on the tension between a teenager and his oppressive father when an old family friend arrives at their island home. It was shown at Laemmle Theaters in Los Angeles and at Metrograph in New York. clear alone, who played at the IFC Center in New York and Landmark Westwood in Los Angeles, It centers on a remote town in Costa Rica, where Clara embarks on a journey to break free from social and religious conventions to become the master of her sexuality and new powers.

Costa Brava, Lebanon It tells the story of a free-spirited family fleeing the toxic pollution and social unrest of Beirut and seeking refuge in a utopian mountain home. It premiered at Quad Cinema in New York and opens July 22 at Laemmle Monica in Santa Monica.

Lionsgate distributes paradise highway July 29 in select theaters and on demand.

T versionHer story first appeared in the July 15 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.