The Mysterious Presages of León Prozak
Los extraños presagios de León Prozak
Kolumbija/Colombia, 2009, digibeta, 67'
directed by Carlos Santa
screenplay Carlos Santa
storyboard Victor Vasquez, Olga Lucia Mesa, Luis Rodriguez, Cony Tovar, Ximena De Valdenebro
animation Carlos Santa, Víctor Vega, Cecilia Traslaviña, Juan Camilo González, Jorge Palma, Simón Wilches, Lina Pérez, Omaira Alvarado
cinematography Mauricio Vidal, Victor Vega, Juan Carlos Vázquez
sound Lucio Carolina
music Luis Pulido, Alejandro Forero, Juan Carlos Varón
editing Convers Louis
compositing Gonzalez Juan Camilo
voices Carlos Mario Echeverry, Andres Felipe Uribe, Maria Angélica Valencia, Jaime Cifuentes
producer José Luis Rugeles Gracia
production Rhayuela Films S.A., T 57 +1 218 6093, E federico@rhayuela.com
The latest Colombian animation international success is the experimental feature entitled The Mysterious Presages of León Prozak. It is an “exquisite corpse”, a metamorphic play with film language and techniques (super-8 film shots, traditional and illustrated animation, scratching directly onto the film itself, rotoscoping, collage, animation of clay and sand, all produced by various artists), an animation film that – from beginning to end – seeks the path to diversities in the art of film, poetry, graphics and music. At the same time, the film is an allegory of the recent Latin American socio-political issues (political repression and the disappeared individuals, press censorship, etc.). A story about an individual searching for his muse, it partially bears resemblance to Goethe’s version of Faustus, Oscar Wilde’s play Salomé, as well as to the works by Federico Fellini (whose voice appears in the film), who is – in particular – a reference to the symbol of the perfect artist, circus performer or animation artist, the one who, by painting or drawing, makes time stop. Contrary to Faustus, rather than selling his soul, the artist sells Mephistopheles his head, which is a symbol of the creative charge; this fully reflects the time we live in and the slogan used in the film: “Today, anything can be bought!”
Carlos Santa
Born in Bogota, Colombia, Carlos Santa is a pioneer of experimental animation in Colombia and a mentor of many of today’s young Colombian artists. He is active as an animation artist, painter and sculptor who has been regularly exhibiting his works and animations since the early 1990s. The Passenger of the Night (1990), The Dark Forest (1994) and Fragments (2000) are some of his most renowned and awarded films.
Kolumbija/Colombia, 2009, digibeta, 67'
directed by Carlos Santa
screenplay Carlos Santa
storyboard Victor Vasquez, Olga Lucia Mesa, Luis Rodriguez, Cony Tovar, Ximena De Valdenebro
animation Carlos Santa, Víctor Vega, Cecilia Traslaviña, Juan Camilo González, Jorge Palma, Simón Wilches, Lina Pérez, Omaira Alvarado
cinematography Mauricio Vidal, Victor Vega, Juan Carlos Vázquez
sound Lucio Carolina
music Luis Pulido, Alejandro Forero, Juan Carlos Varón
editing Convers Louis
compositing Gonzalez Juan Camilo
voices Carlos Mario Echeverry, Andres Felipe Uribe, Maria Angélica Valencia, Jaime Cifuentes
producer José Luis Rugeles Gracia
production Rhayuela Films S.A., T 57 +1 218 6093, E federico@rhayuela.com
The latest Colombian animation international success is the experimental feature entitled The Mysterious Presages of León Prozak. It is an “exquisite corpse”, a metamorphic play with film language and techniques (super-8 film shots, traditional and illustrated animation, scratching directly onto the film itself, rotoscoping, collage, animation of clay and sand, all produced by various artists), an animation film that – from beginning to end – seeks the path to diversities in the art of film, poetry, graphics and music. At the same time, the film is an allegory of the recent Latin American socio-political issues (political repression and the disappeared individuals, press censorship, etc.). A story about an individual searching for his muse, it partially bears resemblance to Goethe’s version of Faustus, Oscar Wilde’s play Salomé, as well as to the works by Federico Fellini (whose voice appears in the film), who is – in particular – a reference to the symbol of the perfect artist, circus performer or animation artist, the one who, by painting or drawing, makes time stop. Contrary to Faustus, rather than selling his soul, the artist sells Mephistopheles his head, which is a symbol of the creative charge; this fully reflects the time we live in and the slogan used in the film: “Today, anything can be bought!”
Carlos Santa
Born in Bogota, Colombia, Carlos Santa is a pioneer of experimental animation in Colombia and a mentor of many of today’s young Colombian artists. He is active as an animation artist, painter and sculptor who has been regularly exhibiting his works and animations since the early 1990s. The Passenger of the Night (1990), The Dark Forest (1994) and Fragments (2000) are some of his most renowned and awarded films.
