Unless we dance – Films To Festivals

A Menos Que Bailemos

Technical Info / Información Técnica:

(2023) / 00:14:34 / ratio 2.35:1 / COLOR / Cámara Sony A7s3 / 24 FPS / NTSC / Quibdó, Colombia / Documentary Short Film: Social Issues, Dance, LGBT+, protest, redemption, rescue, resilience

Tagline:

Everything is darkness… unless we dance.

Todo es oscuridad… a menos que bailemos.

Logline:

Bonays, Colacho, Mafalda, and Rihanna cling to dance to confront the structural violence that exists in Quibdó, a city with the highest homicide rates in Colombia.

Bonays, Colacho, Mafalda y Rihanna se aferran a la danza para enfrentar la violencia estructural que se vive en Quibdó, una ciudad con los más altos índices de homicidios en Colombia.

Short Synopsis / Sinopsis Corta:

In Quibdó, a city with the highest homicide rates in Colombia, Jonathan and hundreds of young people come together through dance to face the brutal fate of violence. UNLESS WE DANCE is a tribute to their act of resilience and to all the lives that have been lost along the way.

En Quibdó, una ciudad con los más altos índices de homicidios en Colombia, Jonathan y cientos de jóvenes se unen a través del baile para enfrentar el brutal destino de la violencia. UNLESS WE DANCE es un homenaje a su grito de resiliencia y a todas las vidas que se han perdido en el camino.

Synopsis / Sinopsis:

Jonathan (Bonays), an Afro dance teacher, undertakes an initiative to rescue young people from the crime that stalks Quibdó, a city with the highest homicide rates in Colombia. This is how Black Boys Chocó emerged, a dance company where hundreds of young people face brutal destinies through a passion. UNLESS WE DANCE portrays union and dance as the greatest expression of shielding the Afro people, it is a tribute to their act of resilience and to all the lives that have been lost along the way.

Jonathan (Bonays), un profesor de danza Afro emprende una iniciativa para rescatar jóvenes de la delincuencia que acecha a Quibdó, una ciudad con los más altos índices de homicidios en Colombia. Así surge Black Boys Chocó, compañía de baile donde cientos de jóvenes enfrentan brutales destinos a través de una pasión. UNLESS WE DANCE retrata la unión y el baile como mayor expresión de blindaje del pueblo afro, es un homenaje a su grito de resiliencia y a todas las vidas que se han perdido en el camino.

Director´s Biography / Biografía del Director:

HANZ RIPPE GABRIEL

Film director and cinematographer. As co-founder of Páramo Films, he is dedicated to the production of documentaries in Latin America, highlighting the realities and social, cultural, and humanitarian issues of the region.

Es director cine y director de fotografía. Como co-fundador de Páramo Films está dedicado a la producción de documentales latinoamericanos, destacando las realidades y problemáticas sociales, culturales y humanitarios de la región.

FERNANDA PINEDA PALENCIA

Graduated from the Cinematographic Research Center, Argentina. She is a photographer, director, producer, and Co-director of Páramo Films. With more than 8 years of experience in documentary, she has approached indigenous, Afro, and rural communities, telling stories in the context of the Colombian conflict and post-conflict.

Egresada del Centro de Investigación Cinematográfica, Argentina. Es fotógrafa, directora, productora audiovisual y Codirectora de Páramo Films. Con más de 8 años de experiencia en documental. Se ha acercado a comunidades indígenas, afro y campesinas, contando historias en contexto del conflicto y posconflicto colombiano.

Director’s Statement / Declaraciones de la Directora:

The film aims to reflect on how body expression can be a tool for young afro Colombian people to get out of circles of violence. We, as directors conceived an audiovisual treatment that prioritizes the testimonies of the protagonists (their dreams, their resilience, and the daily struggle they wage), in parallel with the attempt to capture the poetry inherent in their dance work (forms, movement, movements, silhouettes) and the physical description of the territory (precariousness, violence, marginality). We consider this film completely relevant to the times we are living in. As days pass by, large numbers of young lives are being lost; dancing has become the only way to survive this systematic violence. We hope that this film can raise awareness and put this issue into the international and national spotlight.