Don Ca
Spanish with English subtitles
Director/Producer: Patricia Ayala Ruiz General Producer: Ericka Salazar Berdugo Cinematographer: Ricardo Restrepo Hernández Sound: José Jairo Flórez Editor: Gabriel Baudet Sound Design: Lena Esquenazi Principal Cast: Camilo Arroyo Arboleda
Don Ca is the portrait of a man not easily classified under any label. A descendant of slave owners, Camilo Arroyo decided to turn his life into a manifesto of freedom by abandoning his social position and material wealth. He made his home in Guapi, a remote town on Colombia’s Pacific Coast, and became a teacher and mentor for the impoverished black youth of the region. But he learns that the world does not forgive you, paradises disappear and conflicts loom closer. After 40 years of taking this unconventional path in life, don Ca, as the people of Guapi call him, may have to forsake his universe.
Don Ca both captivates and alarms, and pointedly addresses themes of race, violence, masculinity and duty...a deftly constructed work.
Nick MacWilliam, Sounds and Colours
Don Ca es el retrato de un personaje sumamente complejo. Descendiente de esclavistas, Camilo Arroyo decidió convertir su vida en un manifiesto libertario en el que la felicidad significa desear poco para poseerlo todo, y fue así como cambió su hogar al pueblo de Guapi, una remota villa ubicada en el pacífico, donde se convirtió en maestro de empobrecidos jóvenes negros. Pero el mundo no perdona, el conflicto acecha y los paraísos se pierden. Casi 40 años después de haber tomado una ruta de vida sorprendente, él se plantea si debe renunciar a su universo.
Patricia Ayala Ruiz was born in Bogotá, Colombia in 1973. She is a journalist and documentary filmmaker, and the founder of Pathos Audiovisual. Don Ca, her debut film, received the support of the Film Development Fund of Colombia and screened at the Visions du Réel Documentary Festival in Switzerland.