La Sirga
Spanish with English subtitles
Director/Screenwriter: William Vega Producer: Oscar Ruiz Navia Cinematographer: Sofía Oggioni Hatty Editor: Miguel Schvenfinger Music: Fidencio Tulcán Principal Cast: Floralba Achicanoy, Joghis Seudin Arias, David Guacas, Julio César Roble
Abandoned and alone, a young girl wanders through the misty highlands of the Andes. War memories invade her mind like threatening thunder. Uprooted by the armed conflict, she seeks refuge with her only remaining family member, a gruff and unwelcoming uncle. He runs La Sirga, a dilapidated guesthouse on the shores of the immense La Cocha lake, a place of mystery and legend, sacred to the ancient indigenous Quillacinga. There, on a swampy and murky beach, Alicia will try to find shelter from the menace of her fears.
The enchanted atmosphere of La Cocha is made palpable in this elegantly elaborated fable with echoes of Tarkovsky, the smallest sounds and images contributing to a lush landscape of dreams. Miguel Pendás, SFIFF
Alicia está desamparada. El recuerdo de la guerra llega a su mente como amenazantes truenos. Desterrada por el conflicto armado intenta rehacer su existencia en La Sirga, un hostal decadente a orillas de una gran laguna en lo alto de Los Andes que pertenece a Óscar, el único familiar que conserva con vida, un viejo huraño y solitario. Ahí en una playa fangosa e inestable, buscará echar raíces hasta que sus miedos y la amenaza de la guerra reaparezcan de nuevo.
William Vega was born in Cali, Colombia in 1981. He studied screenwriting at the TAI School of Arts and Entertainment in Madrid. His first feature, La Sirga, premiered at the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes and screened at Toronto, Havana and San Sebastián. It won the FIPRESCI Prize at Mar del Plata.