Valley of Souls | Supporting Talents

Colombia, on the banks of Magdalena Medio, 2002. José returns home deep in the forest after a long fishing night to discover that paramilitary forces killed his two sons, Dionisio and Rafael, and threw their bodies into the river. José begins a lonely journey to retrieve and provide a proper burial for his boys, in order to prevent their tormented souls from being stuck in this world. Aboard his canoe, José discovers the magic of a country torn into pieces.

Director: Nicolás Rincón Gille

After receiving a bachelor's degree in Economy in Bogotá, Nicolás Rincón Gille studied at the INSAS in Brussels. He started working as a cinematographer before directing his trilogy project 'Campo hablado'. This trilogy on the richness of the Colombian oral tradition and its confrontation with violence consisted of the documentaries "En lo escondido" (2007), "Los abrazos del río" (2011) and "Noche herida" (2015). "Valley of Souls" is his first fiction feature.

Cinematographer: Juan Sarmiento G. ADFC I BVK

Juan Sarmiento, born in Colombia, studied at the University of Film & Television Potsdam Babelsberg and works as a cinematographer in fiction and documentary feature films, series and shorts with directors like Pola Beck, Karim Ainouz, and Simón Mesa Soto, in Germany and worldwide. Juan’s films have been screened and awarded at festivals like Cannes, Berlin, Zurich, Chicago, Marrakech and Camerimage. Being nominated and awarded for his cinematographic work on "Central Airport THF", "Breaking Horizons" and "The land left behind", in 2020 he received the German Cinematography Award for "Valley of Souls".

Production Notes

Produced by: Medio de Contención Producciones
In co-production with: Néon Rouge, STO LAT Films and Tact Production
Shooting locations: Magdalena Medio, Colombia
Camera: ALEXA Mini
Lenses: Master Anamorphic
Lighting: SkyPanel, M-Series, ARRIMAX
Camera and lighting equipment serviced by: Congo Films S.A.S and ARRI Rental.
World premiere: Busan International Film Festival, Main Competition, 2029