S.O.S. Colombia, political protest hits Cannes red carpet

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – With the phrase “S.O.S. Colombia” printed on a Colombian flag. This is how the crew of the film “Memoria”, directed by Thai director Apitchapong Weerasethakul, starring Tilda Swinton and shot on location in Colombia, walked the red carpet at Cannes.

Swinton, Weerasethakul, French Jeanne Balibar, and Colombians Elkin Diaz and Juan Pablo Urrego posed in front of photographers with the protest flag in reference to the violent riots that have taken place in Colombia in recent months.

The demonstrations began last April 28 against the economic and social policies of President Iván Duque and resulted in vandalism and police violence.

Elkin Díaz was in charge of unfurling the small flag, held by the whole team, at the foot of the stairs leading up to the Gran Teatro Lumiére, where the gala screening of the film was held on Thursday.

A film that participates in the official competition at Cannes and reflects on the memory of the past through Tilda Swinton’s character.

Colombian landscapes serve as the backdrop for a film that is a work of art and has been quickly praised by Cannes critics.

A co-production of Colombia, Thailand, Mexico, France, and the United Kingdom, it features the characteristic elements of Weerasethakul’s cinema -silence, long fixed shots, little dialogue, and enveloping landscapes-, which in 2010 already won the Palme d’Or at Cannes for “Uncle Boonmee remembers his past lives”.