[May 24, 2023] This year, Docs in Orbit was invited to review the Docs-in-Progress showcase at Cannes Docs and present the inaugural Docs in Orbit Invitation Award.
Thirty-two projects from around the world, diverse in form and subject matter, were included in the showcase. The many exchanges that took place over the course of the event brought about a palpable feeling of community and support. Filmmakers listened to one another’s presentations with genuine interest alongside festival programmers, sales agents, and film distributors. The experience of being there left us with even more faith and belief in today’s documentary film community as a vibrant and vital cultural energy.
The Docs in Orbit Invitation Award went to Pablo Álvarez Mesa for The Soldier’s Lagoon, a project from the Canada Showcase by Telefilm Canada in partnership with RIDM (Rencontres Internationales du Documentaire de Montréal).
The Soldier’s Lagoon is currently in post-production and retraces Simón Bolívar’s liberation campaign across the high-altitude marshlands of Colombia while searching for glimpses of his ghost still present in this contested territory.
The project immediately captivated us with its atmospheric imagery and sound, conveying a deep reverence for the sacredness of land and indigenous futures. Intrigued by the filmmaker's artistic vision and independent process (working as director, cinematographer, editor, and producer), we look forward to the film's completion and the chance to further explore Mesa’s artistic approach when he is ready to share more.
Daniela Silva Solórzano presented the award on the main stage at the Marché du Film - Festival de Cannes. Solórzano is a filmmaker whose short film The Things I Tell You (Las cosas que te digo) is being screened at the International Critics' Week section (La Semaine de la Critique) in Cannes. She was among the first filmmakers invited to the Docs in Orbit podcast in April 2020. “Having been previously invited onto the podcast, I’m delighted to be here today to pass along this invitation to a Cannes Docs in Progress project on behalf of the Docs in Orbit curation team,” Solórzano said.
The Soldier’s Lagoon by Pablo Álvarez Mesa Awarded Docs in Orbit Invitation Award at Cannes Docs
THE SOLDIER’S LAGOON (La Laguna del Soldado) by Pablo ALVAREZ MESA
Country of production: Canada, Colombia
Runtime: 75'
Expected release: February 2024
Production stage: Post-production
Looking for: Festivals, Sales Agents, Distributors, Buyers
SYNOPSIS - 200 years after Simón Bolívar’s liberation campaign across Colombia, The Soldier’s Lagoon retraces The Liberator’s journey across the high-altitude marshlands while searching for glimpses of his ghost still present in this historically contested territory.
FILMMAKER’S BIO - Pablo Alvarez-Mesa‘s films have played at international film festivals, including Berlinale, IFFR, MoMA, Visions du Reel, and RIDM. His most recent film looking into Simón Bolívar’s battles of Independence and titled “Bicentenario” played at the 2021 Berlinale, MoMA Doc Fortnight, and Viennale, amongst other festivals, and earned a Jury Mention at Festival Punto de Vista in the Main Competition. “The Soldier’s Lagoon” is the second in a trilogy of films tracing Bolivar’s path through Colombia. Pablo is an affiliate member of the Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling at Concordia University and is Artist in Residence at Fogo Island Arts. Pablo’s interest in documentary lies in the relationship between fact and fiction, between what is recalled and what is inevitably constructed. His films all touch, in one way or another, issues of displacement, history, and collective memory.
About Docs in Orbit
Docs in Orbit is an artist-led, transnational podcast for independent, creative non-fiction filmmakers. We offer in-depth conversations centered around the creative process, paying close attention to diverse forms present in contemporary non-fiction cinema, the challenges filmmakers encounter as they work with the moving image, and modern approaches to film curation.
We seek to provide a nourishing space for artists to explore new works that move them and facilitate meaningful exchanges and cross-cultural connections.
Since launching in April 2020, we have produced over 55 episodes and served as the premiere podcast to interview filmmakers debuting new works in international film festivals, including Jessica Beshir (Faya Dayi, Sundance 2021), Payal Kapadia (A Night of Knowing Nothing, Cannes 2021) and Shaunak Sen (All That Breathes, Sundance 2022).
We offer our content free across several platforms so that it is accessible to everyone. We are also deeply invested in remaining independent as we explore equitable ways of co-creation.