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08/02/2023

With 'Bridges Over the Sea,' by Patricia Ayala, cinema returns to Tumaco


By Sandra M Ríos U
Twitter: @sandritamrios

From the conception of this story to its release in theaters tomorrow in Colombia, it took director, producer, and screenwriter Patricia Ayala 14 years to complete her third feature film, 'Bridges Over the Sea.' This film marks her first fictional production.

The movie is set in Tumaco, narrating the story of a mother who suffers and overprotects her teenage son to keep him away from the clutches of crime and drugs.

During the lengthy production process of 'Bridges Over the Sea,' Patricia Ayala moved to Tumaco, a municipality located in the Colombian Pacific, in the department of Nariño. It is one of the regions most affected by the armed conflict in the country, with high poverty rates reaching around 84%. The area also experiences a weak presence of the state, leading to issues such as deficient coverage of public services, healthcare, education, and housing. However, Tumaco is known for its unparalleled biodiversity, including its mangroves, which are part of a scarce list of 25 areas with the highest biological diversity in the world. It is also a unique food provider, where, as the locals say, one can easily find more than 50 or 80 diverse products for cooking, hence the saying: 'If you go hungry in Tumaco, it's because you want to.' Tumaco consists of three islands connected by bridges and is a land struck by human conflict yet blessed by nature.

In recent years, the Colombian Film Development Fund (FDC) has been promoting stories from different territories, narratives that come from regions other than the dominant ones, allowing us to understand, rediscover, visualize, and contemplate another side of Colombia. This year, for example, the FDC has allocated 3.94 billion Colombian pesos to support initiatives aimed at regions and ethnic populations.

Ayala's feature film, shot two years ago, is a good example of the positive impact these initiatives can have on cultural sectors such as Tumaco, offering new and different opportunities. 'Bridges Over the Sea' had a large technical team of over 50 people and received support from the community and various social associations. One of its significant final scenes involved nearly 400 people. Of course, the artistic aspect also involved the region, with a mix of professional and non-professional actors, totaling 20 individuals trained for four months (three-hour sessions, three times a week) by the director and acting coach Carlos 'Fagua' Medina.

The role of the protagonist mother is played by Catalina Mosquera, an Afro-Colombian woman who is an actress, dancer, teacher, choreographer, and master of Performing Arts with a focus on acting. Her character, Alicia, embodies the inherent fear that all mothers feel for their children, the worry that they might go astray once they grow up. This anxiety intensifies in a place like the one depicted in the movie. Michael is the son, a 17-year-old boy whom Alicia accompanies daily to school to ensure he attends and stays away from bad influences. Alicia struggles with controlling this stage of her teenager's life, and she will witness how her fears become a reality with his unintentional missteps, leading to a turning point in their lives. The role of Michael is played by a young boy of the same age, a resident of the Nuevo Milenio neighborhood, one of the most complex areas in the municipality.

Ayala's narrative stands out for being different, not only because it is fictional - making it the first professional non-narrative feature film produced in Tumaco - but also because it focuses on the reality of a population struggling to move forward and survive in a challenging and complex environment that often leads them to engage in unwanted practices. While many national films focus on adolescent perspectives, their dramas, and rebellions, this one, while following Michael's journey, offers a perspective from the mother's point of view, reflecting her infinite love, care, and efforts to ensure her son grows up healthy and safe. Ayala explains, 'It is a movie that speaks, obviously, about territories in conflict, but above all, it speaks about that powerful bond between mother and son, and about love, strength, and the power of love. It shows how through affection, we can overcome the immense weight that the world places upon us every day.'

Themes like poverty and criminality are not exploited here for sensationalism; instead, Ayala seeks to highlight dignity, innocence, friendship, and resilience, embodied by characters like the mother, the son, their friends, and the community in general. The film also takes advantage of the setting in which it takes place to showcase the beautiful and contrasting landscapes of Tumaco, as well as some of its oral and musical traditions, which are showcased in a remarkable final scene. Both the depiction of the landscape and traditions serve the narrative purpose and are intricately connected to the story.

When speaking of love, dignity, and respect, one refers to the distinctive hallmark of this director and her approach to her works. 'Bridges Over the Sea,' like her documentaries 'Don Ca' and 'Un asunto de tierras,' presents the story of a mother and a son, who, in turn, represent a portrait of a country. The title alludes not only to the bridges that connect the municipality but also to the stilt houses where many locals establish their homes.

A film that goes beyond the screen

On August 5th, the film will premiere in Tumaco, in a popular nightclub that was part of the film's shooting locations. The special guests will include all those who worked on the film, and they will also recreate the scene that brought together almost 400 people, comprising several social, environmental, and cultural impact projects. The film's production company, Pathos Audiovisual, and the distributor, along with Marea Producciones, a collective that conducts cultural projects in the area, have come together to bring cinema back to Tumaco. They have decided to contribute their share of participation to support the cinema hall that will be operating in the Don Aki Cultural Center, currently in the process of registration with the regulating system for exhibitors in the country (SIREC). The cinema hall will be named 'La perla.' This initiative already has the support of the Cinematheque of Bogotá, the French Embassy, and the Colombian Corporation of Documentalists (ALADOS), who will offer their catalog of films.

Patricia Ayala reflects on her experience, stating, 'After making my two films, "Don Ca" and "Un asunto de tierras," I believe it has been an experience that has taught me the significance of fiction in cinema, the staging process, working with actors, and the immense possibilities that cinema offers in general.' Additionally, it provided her with an opportunity to showcase the connection between a mother and her son, as her own son, Aarón Moreno Ayala, composed the original music for this feature film.

'Bridges Over the Sea' will also be screened in other Colombian cities, including Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Manizales, Pereira, and Barranquilla.

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