Movies that Matter is coming to Pakhuis de Zwijger for a one-off festival preview of the film The Kings of the World. Five boys from the streets of Medellín go on a wild road trip. Are they claiming their rights to a piece of land or just chasing a pipe-dream? Alternately raw and poetic, with electrifying performances from the non-professional young actors. Featuring the breath-taking highlands of Colombia as the mesmerizing backdrop. After the screening, moderator Alwin Helmink will talk with Robert-Jan Friele – author of the book De Pizarro’s – and Luisa González – P.h.D candidate on Colombian film at CEDLA. The film is in Spanish with English subtitles. The talk after the film will be in English.
About the movie
Rá, Sere, Winny and Nano are friends living on the streets of Medellín. They carry machetes to defend themselves and make street deals to survive. Rá, the eldest, takes care of the younger three as though they were his own brothers. When one day he receives a letter saying he can reclaim land that the paramilitaries stole from his grandma long ago, the friends decide to travel to the countryside to take what’s theirs. Rá’s brother Culebro also joins, although the brothers are not on the best of terms.
What follows is an exuberant and dangerous road trip. The boys visit bars and brothels, destroy property, liberate cows, smoke weed, pop pills and rely on the kindness of strangers – such as a wise hermit who gives them a bed for the night. Will they find their Promised Land? Moving, beautiful and thrilling feature about friendship, inequality, betrayal and justice by Laura Mora (Killing Jesus).
About the speakers
Robert-Jan Friele is Head of News at De Volkskrant and wrote the book De Pizarro’s. A family chronicle that covers a hundred years of Colombian history. Many of the film’s themes – land grabbing, conflict, justice and reconciliation – are reflected in his book. Robert-Jan will dive into these themes to give context on current-day Colombia.
Luisa F. González Valencia is a Colombian film curator, and PhD candidate at the Centre for Research and Documentation on Latin America of the University of Amsterdam, where she studies Colombian Popular Video-films. In 2021 she curated the show Que Haiga Paz for the Colombian Truth Commission, with more than 30 films that explore the Colombian armed conflict.
Moderated by Alwin Helmink.
About Movies that Matter
Movies that Matter festival takes place from 24 March to 1 April in The Hague. Movies that Matter wants to broaden the horizon for human rights. They use film to stimulate dialogue about a just world, to influence public opinion and to motivate commitment to social issues and a sustainable society.
