Bolivian Cinema
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The Director's Cut - Interviews with Award-Winning Filmmakers
Interview with Violeta Ayala
Feb, 2025
CBAT had the privilege of interviewing another of our award-winning Bolivian filmmakers: Violeta Ayala — a Film Futurist, AI Innovator, and Creative Technologist who pushes the boundaries of traditional cinema by blending technology, ancestral knowledge, and social activism. With over 50 international awards and selections at prestigious festivals like Sundance, SXSW, Cannes XR, IDFA, and Sheffield Doc/Fest, Violeta is one of the most celebrated and innovative filmmakers of her generation. Her work spans from traditional documentary (Cocaine Prison) to politically impactful films (The Fight), to pioneering interactive and AI-driven immersive experiences (Prison X).
In this interview, Violeta Ayala takes us into the heart of her creative process and introduces us to The Jaguaress. This robotic creation explores the intersection of digital futures and ancestral wisdom, whose robotic gaze reveals the Amazon’s crisis and calls for action.
Interview with Geraldine Ovando, Andrea Camponovo and Isabel Navia
Jan, 2025
CBAT had the privilege of interviewing filmmakers Andrea Camponovo — known for producing and starring in Eugenia (Guadalajara award-winner) and for producing El Visitante, which won Best Screenplay at Tribeca FF and Best International Film in Antalya FF. She is also co-founder of CQ Films— and Geraldine Ovando — director of the award-winning El Disco de Piedra, director of the production company Nicobis, cultural manager at Casa Espejo, and executive producer of the Kolibrí International Audiovisual Festival for Children and Adolescents — along with Isabel Navia — a passionate consultant in strategic communication and cultural professional with a background in acting, deeply engaged in promoting and supporting cinema, theatre, and the arts. She strongly believes in cultural development as a powerful driver of human growth, social cohesion, and economic progress.
Throughout the discussion, they shared their fascinating journeys as actresses. Andrea and Geraldine also talked about the challenges of film production and gave insights into their current projects. Additionally, Geraldine discussed El Disco de Piedra, the inspiration behind the project, and the dedication it took to bring the film to life.
Interview with Adriana Montenegro and Catalina Razzini
Jan, 2025
CBAT had the privilege of interviewing filmmakers Adriana Montenegro — founder of the Indómita production company and winner of the DGA Student Film Award for Best Latino Short Film for her film Desde el Fondo — and Catalina Razzini — whose debut feature Cuidando El Sol earned the Best Script Award at the Festival Régional et International du Cinéma de Guadeloupe and showcased at major international festivals.
In this conversation, they shared their creative journeys and inspirations that fueled their stories, the challenges faced during production, and the deep emotional connections they hope to create with their audiences through these films.
Interview with Gory Patiño, Rodrigo Bellott and Juan Pablo Richter
Dec, 2024
CBAT was honored to interview filmmakers Gory Patiño — whose films have been screened at top international festivals, with his latest, Mano Propia, selected to represent Bolivia at the 2025 Academy Awards — Rodrigo Bellott — whose short films have earned numerous awards and represented Bolivia at over 60 international festivals, along with two feature films, Dependencia Sexual and Tu Me Manques, that have brought him over four international awards and six nominations — and Juan Pablo Richter — whose second feature film got nominated for the Best Latin American Picture award.
During the interview, Gory reflected on his journey from acting to directing and shared insights into his latest film, Mano Propia. Rodrigo discussed his provocative films and growing interest in the horror genre, and Juan Pablo offered insights into his second feature film, 98 Segundos Sin Sombra.
Interview with Kiro Russo and Luciana Decker Orozco
Dec, 2024
CBAT had the privilege of interviewing filmmakers Kiro Russo — whose award-winning films have been showcased at prestigious festivals, including Venice, Locarno, and Toronto. His movies, including Viejo Calavera and El Gran Movimiento, have earned international recognition for their striking visual language and deep social resonance and have earned over 28 international awards and 22 nominations — and Luciana Decker Orozco —whose work has been showcased at international festivals, including Mar del Plata, Jeonju, Torino, and Open City. Her film Nana won Best Trans-Andean Film at Transcinema and the Eduardo Abaroa Prize for Best Documentary.
During the interview, they shared insights into their beginnings in cinema, what cinema means to them, and their unique approaches to filmmaking. They also explored the concept of identity, revealed sources of inspiration for their stories and films, and discussed the challenges and limitations they have encountered as filmmakers in Bolivia.
Interview with Jorge Sanjinés
CBAT was honored to spend time with members of the UKAMAU group — Mónica Bustillos (Producer) and Cesar Pérez (Director of Photography) — and interview Bolivian renowned filmmaker Jorge Sanjinés Aramayo —one of Latin America’s most influential filmmakers and a pioneer of revolutionary cinema, and founding member of the Grupo Ukamau. His work, including classics like Yawar Mallku and El Corage del Pueblo, has been celebrated at festivals worldwide and remains foundational to political and indigenous cinema across the continent. His award-winning films have been showcased at prestigious international film festivals worldwide, achieving over 18 international awards and several nominations. During the interview, he shared details about his upcoming project for 2025, which will be part of the celebration of the bicentenary of the independence of Bolivia in August. The project is a film series that highlights key moments and characters from the last 200 years of the history of Bolivia. He also offered us a glimpse of the different stories included in the film. .
Listen to the audio below to learn about his project and the five emerging directors contributing their scripts!
Dec, 2024
Bolivia's Prominent Filmmakers
Fernando Arze Echalar: (b. 1972, La Paz)
Actor, writer of theater and film scripts and theatre director, currently venturing into film direction. Echalar is know as a script writer for The Goalkeeper (2018) and as an actor in The River (2018) and La Entrega (2018). For more information visit his website.
Rodrigo Bellott: (b. 1978, Santa Cruz)
Film and theatre director, screenwriter, and producer. He has earned multiple international and Bolivian awards, including the prestigious Santa Cruz Arts Biennial in 2002. After years of training in his hometown, Rodrigo moved to the United States to study Film and Visual Arts at Ithaca College in New York. At just 21, he became one of five nominees for an Oscar for Best Student Feature Film by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood. His debut short film, Forlorn (1998), won two awards at the Rochester and Miami film festivals, marking the beginning of a successful and award-winning career.
Rodrigo has represented Bolivia at over 60 international short film festivals with works like Forlon, Destierro, and Sexo, earning more than 10 awards. His first feature film, Dependencia Sexual (Sexual Dependency), premiered at the 2003 Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland, where it won the International Critics Prize (FIPRESCI). The film received awards in several film festivals worldwide, including the IFF Rotterdam (The Netherlands), AFI Fest (Los Angeles, USA), JIFF (Jeunju, South Korea), and Telluride FF (Colorado, USA). It was also the first Bolivian film officially selected to compete for the Oscar Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film for Bolivia in 2004. The LA Times, Indiewire, and the New York Times ranked it among the top 10 films of the year. It has been translated into seven languages and distributed globally. In 2006, Rodrigo released his second feature film, ¿Quién mató a la lamina Blanca? (Who Killed The White Llama?), which became the most significant local box office hit in Bolivian cinema's history and was later selected to participate at the Mar Del Plata IFF 2007. In 2007, the film magazine Variety named Rodrigo Bellott one of the 10 most important representatives of New Latin American Cinema.
In 2018, Rodrigo premiered his third feature film, Tu Me Manques (I Miss You), which won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Screenwriting at the Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival 2019. The film is an adaptation of his 2015 hit theatre play that introduced him to the world of playwriting and theater direction and made him the first Bolivian ever to reach Broadway. The film was also nominated for Best Limited Release Feature (MAGUEY prize) and Best Picture (Ibero-America Competition) at the Guadalajara International Film Festival 2020 (FICG), for Best Foreign Language Film Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival 2020, and Outstanding Film - Limited Release at the GLAAD Media Awards 2022. HBO Max obtained the rights to release the film worldwide.
More about Rodrigo Bellott:
Wins & Nominations, Films as a Director, Screenwriter and a Producer
Daniela Cajías: (b. 1981, La Paz)
Cinematographer/ Director of Photography. Daniela studied at the Escuela de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales (ECA) and at Cuba’s San Antonio de los Baños’ International School of Film and Television. In 2021 she became first female cinematographer to win Goya Award for Best Cinematography for the film Schoolgirls.
More about Daniela Cajías:
Cinema Tropical, Pagina Siete in Bolivia
Interview with Daniela Cajias by RTVE:
Andrea Camponovo: (b. 1983, Tarija)
Actress, producer, and co-founder of CQ Films. She studied Business Engineering at the Universidad Católica. Andrea began her career as a producer and actress in 2004 with Tarija's first feature film, Espíritus Independientes. Since 2011, she has produced several internationally recognized films through CQ Films.
In 2017, Andrea produced and starred in Eugenia, which was awarded at the Guadalajara Film Festival and screened in cities including Paris, Geneva, and Washington DC. The film is currently available on Amazon Prime. She also produced and starred in Blood Red Ox by Rodrigo Bellott, which premiered at the Guadalajara Film Festival in 2021. In 2022, she produced El Visitante, directed by Martín Boulocq, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, winning Best Screenplay, and later won Best International Film at the Antalya Film Festival. Her most recent work as a producer is Cuerpo Criminal, selected for Cannes Docs 2023 and supported by the IDFA Bertha Fund.
More about Andrea Camponovo:
Alejandro Loayza Grisi: (b. 1985, La Paz)
Film director and photographer. His debut feature film, Utama, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2022, where it won the Grand Jury Prize in the World Dramatic Competition. Alejandro began his artistic career in still photography and later transitioned to the moving image as a director of photography. Attracted by stories that can be described visually through the creation of images, he ventured into screenwriting and film directing.
More about Alejandro Loayza Grisi:
Meet the Artist: Alejandro Loayza Grisi on "Utama":
Awards received, At the 25th Malaga Film Festival in Spain, Interview by "Sounds and Colors",
Marcos Loayza: (b. 1959, La Paz)
Film director, screenwriter, producer, founder of the production company ALMA Films, and cartoonist. Marcos is considered an outstanding Latin American filmmaker, and his films have been considered among the best Latin productions that have won various international awards and recognitions. In 1995, Cuestión de Fe won the OCIC Award - Honorable Mention at the Amiens International FF, the Special Jury Prize at the Biarritz International Festival of Latin American Cinema, Coral Best First Work, and OCIC Award - Special Mention at the Havana FF; in 1996 won the Golden India Catalina Best First Work award at the Cartagena FF, the FIPRESCI Prize - Special Mention at the International FF Rotterdam, and Special Mention at the Trieste Festival of Latin-American Cinema; and in 1997 won the First Work Award International Competition at the Uruguay International FF. In 2004, with El Corazón de Jesús won the Special Jury Prize at the Bogota FF. In 2018, Averno won the Best Local Film/ Best Latin American Film at the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema and the Special Jury Award/ Latin Film Competition (Longa Metragem em 35mm, Latinos) at the Gramado Film Festival.
More about Marcos Loayza:
Wins & Nominations, Biofilmografía by Ibermedia, Films as a Director, Screenwriter and a Producer, Drawings
Adriana Montenegro: (b. La Paz)
Film and television screenwriter, director, and producer. Raised between cultures, she spent her teenage years in Japan and over a decade studying and working in Los Angeles. Since 2020, she has been living in Germany. Her work blends an international perspective with local insight, always seeking a strong emotional connection with a universal audience. A Fulbright Scholar, Adriana earned her Master’s in Film, Television, and Theater Directing from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Her films have been showcased at international festivals and broadcast on global television networks. She is an alum of the Binger Film Lab and has received recognition from institutions, including the Directors Guild of America (DGA) and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
She received the DGA Student Film Award for Excellence in Film Directing for Best Latino Short Film with her film Desde El Fondo (From The Core) (2008). Adriana is also the founder of Indómita, a Bolivian women-led production company, where she has directed dozens of commercials, created high-impact campaigns for a wide variety of clients, and developed film and television projects.
More about Adriana Montenegro:
Desde el Fondo - Trailer :
Geraldine Ovando: (b.1983, La Paz)
Filmmaker, producer, and cultural manager. She holds a BA in Communication from Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico) and a degree in Film Directing from Universidad Católica Boliviana. She also holds Master’s degrees in Latin American Literature from UMSA and Audiovisual Production from EICTV in Cuba.
Geraldine has directed several short films selected at national and international festivals, such as Todo Mojado, Pescada, and La Niña, featured at FENAVID and other Latin American festivals. Her short film Gravedad (2017) earned a special mention at the Amalia de Gallardo Municipal Contest in La Paz. She also co-directed the 2010 documentary and web series Hijos del Fin del Mundo, which explores alternative ways of life across continents.
In 2022, Geraldine directed her debut feature documentary El Disco de Piedra, which received multiple awards, including Best Debut Film and the Critics Prize at Atlantidoc (Uruguay), as well as Best Debut Film at the Pukañawi Human Rights Film Festival in Sucre, Bolivia. The film was also officially selected for festivals across Latin America, including Viña del Mar, Radical, ACAMPADOC (Panama), and ALEste (Peru).
Geraldine is the executive producer and workshop leader of the Kolibrí International Audiovisual Festival for Children and Adolescents, which fosters creative expression, critical thinking, and international exchange through media made by and for young people. She is a cultural manager at Casa Espejo, a multi-purpose cultural space focused on film, the environment, art, economy, and health, and manager of Nicobis, a production company with over 40 years of experience in social and environmental cinema, where she leads multiple audiovisual projects and media activism initiatives.
More about Geraldine Ovando:
El Disco de Piedra - Trailer :
Rodrigo "Gory" Patiño: (b. 1975, La Paz)
Actor, screenwriter, and film director. Gory made his directorial debut in 2018 with La Muralla (The Goalkeeper), a film with which he received the Argentores Best Screenplay Award at the Cine de Las Alturas Film Festival. This film also represented Bolivia at the 2019 Academy Awards and was selected for several film festivals, such as Guadalajara, Vancouver, San Francisco Havann, and Gramado. His second feature, Pseudo, co-directed and co-written with Luis Reneo, participated at the Havanna Film Festival, Gramado, San Francisco, and Ternium. In Sept 2024, Gory Patiño directed his third film, Mano Propia (Own Hand), which was selected to represent Bolivia at the 2025 Academy Awards.
More about Gory Patiño:
Gory Patiño, Claudia Gaensel and Roberto Navia win the 2024 National Award 'Granja de Espejos' by Nómadas Magazine
Mano propia representará a Bolivia en los Premios Oscar by Los Tiempos Newspaper
Catalina Razzini: (b. 1984)
Bolivian-Italian film director and screenwriter. She studied Filmmaking at the Universidad Católica Boliviana in La Paz and earned a Master’s in film directing from Madrid’s TAI School of the Arts. With a diverse background in the film industry, Catalina has worked in various roles, including casting director, assistant director, script supervisor, screenwriter, and producer. She began her directing career with short films and commercials, and her debut feature film, Cuidando Al Sol (Sun and Daughter, 2021) marked a significant milestone. The film won the Best Script Award at the Festival Régional et International du Cinéma de Guadeloupe 2022 and was selected for several international festivals, including the 2022 San Francisco International Film Festival, Munich Film Festival, and International Film Festival of Kerala.
More about Catalina Razzini:
Cuidando al Sol (Sun and Daugther) - Trailer:
Juan Pablo Richter: (b. 1982, Trinidad)
Film director, editor, screenwriter, and script consultant. He made his directorial debut with his feature film El Río (The River), which premiered at the Miami Film Festival and aired on HBO in 2018. In 2021, his second feature, 98 Segundos Sin Sombra (98 Seconds Without Shadow), premiered worldwide at the Just Film Festival of the Black Nights Film Festival in Tallinn, Estonia, and was nominated for Best Latin American Picture at the 27th José María Forqué Film Awards in Madrid.
More about Juan Pablo Richter:
Films as a Director, Screenwriter and Editor
Kiro Russo: (b. 1984, La Paz)
Film director, editor, screenwriter, and sound designer. Kiro is known for building a cinema of profound cinematic, political, and sonorous experiences that question the limits of cinematographic language and rescue old traditions to rediscover and reinterpret them. He started making three short films: Enterprisse (2010), Juku (2012), which won the Short Film Grand Prize Award at the IndieLisboa International Independent FF in 2012, and Nueva Vida (New Life, 2015), which won Best European Documentary Short at the Jihlava International Documentary FF and Special Mention - Leopards of Tomorrow/ International Competition at the Locarno FF.
In 2016, Kiro Russo made his feature directorial debut with Viejo Calavera (Dark Skull), which was selected in more than 80 film festivals and won 23 awards, including the Special Mention of the Jury in Locarno in 2016, the Grand Prize in Cartagena FF, and the Special Mention in San Sebastián FF. His second feature film, El Gran Movimiento (The Grand Movement) (2021), was shot in Super 16mm in La Paz and won the Orizzonti Special Jury Award at the 78th Venice International FF. Since its premiere in Venice, El Gran Movimiento has been invited to 20 festivals, including San Sebastian, NYFF, and IFFR, and has won 10 awards.
More about Kiro Russo:
Wins & Nominations, Films as a Director, Screenwriter and a Producer
5 Movies That Inspired Me to Become a Filmmaker
Juku Short:
Jorge Sanjinés Aramayo: (b. 1936, La Paz)
Film director, screenwriter and producer with a career spanning more than 50 years in the audiovisual environment. Sanjinés is a distinguished Bolivian filmmaker renowned for his contributions to Latin American cinema, particularly in portraying indigenous cultures and social issues. He was the first film director to produce films in Aymara and Quechua languages in Bolivia. In 1966, under the auspices of the Bolivian Film Institute, Sanjinés produced his first feature-length film, Ukamau, spoken in the Aymara language. Ukamau later became the name of the filmmakers’ group that he founded.
Among his films made in Bolivia after Ukamau are Yawar Mallku (Blood of the Condor) (1969), El Coraje del Pueblo (The Courage of the People, 1971), and Las Banderas del Amanecer (The Flags Of Dawn, 1983), co-directed with Beatriz Palacios. In 1989, with La Nación Clandestina (The Secret Nation), Sanjinés became the first Bolivian director to win the highest prize, Concha Dorada, for Best Film at the prestigious San Sebastián Film Festival. His later works include Para Recibir el canto de los Pájaros (The Birds’ Singing, 1995), Insurgentes (Insurgents, Bolivia-Venezuela, 2012), Juana Azurduy, Guerrillera de la Patria Grande (2016) and Los Viejos Soldados (The Old Soldiers, 2022).
Jorge Sanjinés has also written several books, essays, and articles. In 2022, he presented his latest book with his autobiography titled 'Memorias de un cine sublevado' (Memories of a Rebellious Cinema).
For full details about Jorge Sanjinés's biography, filmography and written work, please click here
Historias Debidas. Latinoamérica: Jorge Sanjinés
For more information about other prominent Bolivia's filmmakers, click here (frombolivia.com)
Bolivian Featured Films
Wara Wara (1930)
This film is José María Velasco Maidana's masterpiece as a filmmaker. For its time, it was the equivalent of a modern-day super-production, with specially built sets, costumes, and a cast of actors recruited from the finest artists and intellectuals of Bolivia at the time. Wara Wara was also the last silent film in Bolivian cinema. (Source: Alfonso Gumucio Dragon).
More about this film:
Wara Wara_frombolivia.com
Semi-documentary short film (28min), directed by Jorge Ruiz and Augusto Roca, depicting the daily life of the ancient Chipaya community settled in Carangas, Oruro, in the Bolivian highlands. It was the first Bolivian film to receive an international award in the Ethnographic – Folkloric Film category.
More about this film:
Vuelve Sebastiana_frombolivia.com
Full Movie in Spanish:
Ukamau (1966)
Drama film directed by Jorge Sanjinés and the first feature-length Bolivian fiction film spoken in the Aymara language, performed by non-professional actors. The word Ukamau means ¡And so It is! That year, Ukamau won the Great Young Directors Award at the Cannes International Film Festival in France. The famous critic Goerges Sadoul praised the film in the newspaper Le Monde.
More about this film: Ukamau_frombolivia.com
Yawar Mallku (Blood of the Condor) (1969)
Directed by Jorge Sanjinés, it is a film inspired by true events that took place in a Bolivian community. The film denounces the sterilization practices of Indigenous women, without their consent, by a North American "Peace Corps" team under the disguise of providing healthcare. Yawar Mallku won several awards, including the Georges Sadoul Prize in France for Best Foreign Film and the Golden Ruder Award at the Venice FF. In 1970, it received the Golden Spike Award for Best Film at the Valladolid International FF. In 1992,UNESCO selected it as one of the 100 best films produced worldwide.
La Nación Clandestina (The Secret Nation) (1989)
Directed by Jorge Sanjinés. “It raises the cultural identity of a nation, the Bolivian nation, as a topic of discussion” (frombolivia.com). Awards won in 1989: Concha de Oro for Best Film at the San Sebastián FF and the Special Jury Prize and Glauber Rocha prize at the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema.
Some Short films include:
Extranjeros (Foreigners) (2020) - Fernando Arze Echalar
Volivia (2015) - Sergio Pinedo
El olor de Tu Ausencia (Smell of Absence) (2010) - Eddy Vasquez
Additional information on Bolivian Cinematography
Cinemateca Boliviana: cultural institution dedicated to the preservation, promotion, and exhibition of Bolivian cinema and audiovisual heritage. The Cinemateca Boliviana plays an essential role in preserving the country's cinematic history, supporting the development of film culture, and showcasing both classic and contemporary Bolivian films.
History of Bolivian Cinema:
- Chronological history of Bolivian cinema (source frombolivia.com)
- Bolivian Cinema Day (frombolivia.com)
- Breve Historia del cine Boliviano (Brief History of Bolivian Cinema) by Alfonso Gumucio Dragon.
- La Aventura del Cine Boliviano (The Adventure of Bolivian Cinema) from the Carlos D. Mesa Gisbert Virtual Library: "The paths of Bolivian cinema are those of a great adventure, of heroes who were willing to give everything in the name of creation, in search of dreams, behind the illusion of leaving for their contemporaries and for us the mark of our gaze capable of building an identity. Here is the story of those men and women, of scripts, editing of moving images, actors, composers, and directors who made the works of this fascinating transit, and those who were willing to finance our cinema. From 1897 to today, more than a hundred feature films and thousands of short and medium-length films have made this adventure possible."
La Aventura del Cine Boliviano - 1st part video
La Aventura del Cine Boliviano -2nd part video
- Award-winning Bolivian Films in Over a Century of History by frombolivia
- Memorias de un Cine Sublevado (Memories of a Rebellious Cinema) book by Bolivian filmmaker Jorge Sanjines A.
- Fundación Grupo Ukamau: This Foundation's mission is to preserve the Ukamau Group's cinematic works, promote them to national and international audiences, and encourage their study and understanding. As part of their general objective, they aim to train artists, professionals, academics, audiovisual workers, students, and/or individuals to develop their creativity and talent in various audiovisual fields. To this end, they run 'The Escuela Andina de Cinematografía' with educational programs. Its over 30 years of creative and investigative work in cinema has achieved for Bolivia the presence of a sui generis cinematographic movement recognized worldwide, contributing to the formation of national consciousness in the country.
To learn about and watch films produced by the Ukamau Group, click here.
Other sources:
Ongoing and Upcoming Film Events