• Vampires of Poverty

Short Films of Luis Ospina

  • In Person

Luis Ospina is among the most influential and prolific filmmakers in Colombia. Although influenced by the militant cinema that became prevalent across much of Latin America in the 1960s, collaborators Carlos Mayolo and Ospina incorporated political critique, a sense of aesthetics, and perhaps most importantly, humor. Their iconic Vampires of Poverty, a fictional documentary, satirized what Mayolo and Ospina described as pornomiseria (poverty porn), a type of documentary film funded by the Colombian state to satiate the demand abroad for images of poverty and underdevelopment. Eye / Sight is a later meta-reflection on this landmark film. (Adapted from a note by Michèle Faguet)

Films in this Screening

The Vampires of Poverty
(Agarrando pueblo)

Luis Ospina, Carlos Mayolo, Colombia, 1978

FILM DETAILS 
Language
  • Spanish
  • with English subtitles
Print Info
  • B&W/Color
  • 16mm
  • 27 mins
source
  • Archivo Luis Ospina

In Search of Maria
(En busca de "María")

Luis Ospina, Jorge Nieto, Colombia, 1985

FILM DETAILS 
Language
  • Spanish
  • with English e-titling
Print Info
  • B&W/Color
  • 35mm
  • 15 mins
source
  • Archivo Luis Ospina

Eye / Sight
(Ojo y vista: Peligra la vida del artista)

Luis Ospina, Colombia, 1987

FILM DETAILS 
Language
  • Spanish
  • with English e-titling
Print Info
  • Color
  • 3/4" video
  • 26 mins
source
  • Archivo Luis Ospina