Colombia’s Marlon Moreno, best known for his tough guy roles in “El Capo” and “Dog Eat Dog,” and Loren Sofía Paz, who played one of the key characters in Netflix’s epic series “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” lead the cast in “Goodbye Father” (“Adiós Mi Padre”), the directorial debut of Juan Sebastián Hinestroza.
The project participates in the Santiago Fiction Lab of the Santiago Int’l Film Festival (Sanfic) which runs over Aug. 17 – 24.
Drama began filming late July in Cali, Colombia and follows a young Spanish woman, Silvana (Sofìa Paz), who travels to South America with her partner Michel. Desperate for cash, they agree to be mules. Michel dies when the drugs burst inside him. Left to deal with his body, Silvana must extract the drug capsules and reluctantly reaches out to her estranged father Victor (Moreno) for help.
It is produced by Colombia’s Jhonny Hendrix of Antorcha Films, a seasoned producer of such notable titles as “Una madre,” “Choco” and “Candelaria.” Hinestroza was an associate producer in “Candelaria.” “We believe this story has the power to resonate deeply with audiences and contribute meaningfully to important conversations about family, trauma and reconciliation,” said Hendrix.
“This project emerges from a deeply personal place – a creative response to loss and the search for closure through cinema. While rooted in intimate pain, ‘Goodbye Father’ transforms that experience into a universal story about family, confrontation and healing,” said Hinestroza who envisions his film as “thrilling, intimate and above all, authentic.”
“I want all components – sound, cinematography and narrative –{ to become a single organism breathing life into the story and the beauty of its characters. But I also want it to be a chaotic journey, with a rhythm that keeps you riveted to the screen,” he told Variety.
Sofía Paz, who plays Amaranta Buendía in “One Hundred Years…,” chose to portray her character “because of the strange yet profoundly human ambiguity that accompanies Silvana throughout her journey.”
“Both victim and perpetrator, her revenge is served cold and bittersweet while her heart is troubled by the loss of love, life and companionship. She embodies the beautiful contradiction that exists within every single one of us,” she added.
Said Moreno: “There was a tremendous challenge in interpreting Víctor Hugo. In order to present his calculated mannerisms, his bold charisma and his surprisingly dark nature, I had to endure intense pressure of character and soul – a state of mind that could be perceived as dangerous but was essential for the character.”
“I found him to be deeply intriguing yet also despicable in a charming way. It was quite an adventure getting into his psyche,” he added.
Moreno plays against type in the upcoming drama “Lo que los hombres sienten,” directed by and co-starring Juan Zapata (“Simone,” “When in Venice”). In this black-and-white introspective film, Moreno and Zapata play two long-time friends who share their reflections on life, family and love. As the years go by, they adapt to changing times, confront personal wounds, work through conflicts and face the consequences of their decisions.
Praising his leads, his producer Hendrix and DP Sergio Iván Castaño (Fernando Trueba’s “Memories of My Father”), Hinestroza reflected: “’Goodbye Father’ is ultimately about finding beauty in pain, closure in art and the possibility of healing through honest confrontation with our deepest wounds.”
