A movie about the life of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, titled ‘Petro,’ officially premiered on April 4th in select cinemas across Colombia. Directed by Sean Mattison, the movie provides a historical journey through the life and political career of the Colombian leader.
‘Petro’ portrays pivotal moments of his life and political career, tracing his involvement in social struggles from a young age as a former leader and guerrilla fighter of the M-19. The film also reveals undisclosed details of his presidential campaigns in 2018 and 2022, leading up to the crucial day of his presidential election.
The feature film includes accounts by personalities close to Petro, such as Senators Maria Jose Pizarro and Ivan Cepeda and former M-19 militant Darío Villamizar, as well as his daughter Sofia. It also features interventions from Federico Gutierrez, the current mayor of Medellin (whom he competed against for the Presidency in 2022), and one of his staunchest opponents, María Fernanda Cabal, Senator from the Center Democratic (Centro Democratico) party.
Utilizing an extensive archive of documentary videos, spanning from historical recordings to recent footage, the film follows the ebbs and flows of the Colombian progressive movement while meticulously delineating the triumphs and challenges encountered throughout Gustavo Petro’s path to becoming Colombia’s first left-wing president.
‘Petro’ film acclaimed internationally
At the prestigious Slamdance Film Festival in Utah, the jury awarded the film with the Honorable Mention for Best Documentary Feature earlier this year. Additionally, it was included and acclaimed at the International Film Festival of Morelia in Mexico and the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema in Havana. The production was spearheaded by two American production companies, ‘Guagua Productions & Long Count Films’ and ‘Crypto Castle Productions’, in association with the Spanish company ‘Mil y Una Historias’.
On April 13th, Colombian audiences will be treated to a special screening of the film ‘Petro’ at the Delia Zapata Olivella Theater, in downtown Bogota. Additionally, the film will be available for free viewing from April 9th to April 23rd on Retina Latina, a digital platform for Latin American cinema. The Ministry of Culture is coordinating screenings across different regions of the country, starting on May 1st.
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