71st edition. From 23 to 31 October 2026.
71st edition.
23/31 Oct. 2026
23/31 Oct. 2026
In a Colombian shelter for teenage girls, ten young women take a seat, one after another, and close their eyes. They are asked to picture Alis, an imaginary friend, and to bring her story to life in a creative dialogue with the filmmakers. Like the interviewees, Alis used to live on the streets of Bogotá. This imaginary companion is the seed for an documentary narration, serving as a reflective and delicate point of entry to the protagonists’ own stories.
Filmmaker, architect and photographer, as well as Fénix-nominee, Nicolas van Hemelryck is cofounder of Casatarantula production company and DOC:CO Distribution and Promotion Agency. His debut ‘Amazona’ (codirected with Clare Weiskopf, 2016) premiered at IDFA, was DocsBarcelona’s opening film, was nominated for the Goya Awards, won three Colombian Academy Awards and was distributed in 11 countries. His film ‘Alis’ won the Crystal Bear in the Generation 14plus section at the Berlin Film Festival, before reaping other awards at the Lima and Guadalajara festivals.
