PÖFF : BNFF

World premiere

Seed of the Desert

Local title
Kõrbeseeme
Original title
Semilla del Desierto
Director
Sebastian Parra R
Country
Colombia
Year
2024
Festival
28th Black Nights Film Festival
Programme
Official Selection - Competition
Genre
drama, science fiction
Subject
interpersonal relationships, familial relationships, individual vs society, pregnancy, child in a grown ups role

A rusty, dusty (and dangerous) road and a spark of love… jump in our car!

In a deserted land, Chelina and Caviche face a difficult decision when in fear of a violent father they decide to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. To fund the abortion, they become gasoline smugglers and embark on a challenging journey.

The film raised crowdfunding before receiving any institutional support and tells the story of a couple who must grow up faster than usual in an aggressive environment. It underlines the tendency of the current Latin American cinema to present contemporary stories, flirting with genres and exposing still prevailing social realities in a fantasy framework, without remaining stuck in classic urban drama.

Introducing a handful of iconic and charismatic characters, the film makes us face the loss of innocence in a harsh dystopian, but relatable world because, more often than not, childhood is a scarce capacity, while fast-paced survival is paramount.

An appealing cocktail between a coming-of-age and a rusty and ramshackle steampunk tale, “Seed of the Desert” emerges as a hardy road movie along the Guajira Peninsula. Will love overcome all these difficulties?

Javier Puerto Garcia

Director
Sebastian Parra R
Screenwriter
Sebastian Parra R
Cast
Sebastian Damian, Maria Ibarra Peña, Andres Agreshot, Ilber Oñate
Producer
Andrés Gómez D
Cinematographer
David Curto
Music
Martin Velez, Nicolas Molina, Manola Tobon, Manuel Gordillo
Music
Llorona Records, La Tonga Records
Runtime
Language
Spanish
Subtitles
Estonian, English
Director
Sebastian Parra R

Sebastian Parra R (1992) is a Colombian director and screenwriter. His career so far is characterised by his collaboration with renowned Greek-Colombian director Spiros Stathoulopoulos. In 2015, he participated in Stathoulopoulos’s masterclass project “Anthropos” as one of 50 directors. who presented their life story through photographs. In 2016, Parra was a second assistant director on two films – Stathoulopoulos’s “Killing Klaus Kinski” and “Amazonas”, a film made by six directors. With “Seed of the Desert”, he introduces it as follows: „It is my intention to evoke memories of childhood friends who were prematurely thrust into adulthood, facing challenging realities that stood in contrast to the innocence and fragility of my own fortunate childhood.”

Anthropos (2015, co-dir), Semilla del desierto (Seed of the Desert, 2024)

Grand Prix for The Best Film, grant of 20 000 euros from the city of Tallinn, Award for Best Director, grant of 5000€ from Alexela

Screenings

1st Lux Hall Apollo Kino Coca-Cola Plaza
Screening110101 / Kõrbeseeme
SubtitlesEnglish, Estonian
Q&A guestsSebastian Parra R (Director, Screenwriter), Andrés Gómez D (Producer, Editing), David Curto (Cinematographer), Belen Toscano y Garcia (Production design), Tatiana Ronderos (Executive producer), Cesar León (Unit Manager producer), Aleix Cuaresma (Sound)
Q&A duration
Screening duration
Hall Electric Cinema, Tartu
Screening124103 / Kõrbeseeme
SubtitlesEnglish, Estonian
Q&A guestsSebastian Parra R (Director, Screenwriter), Andrés Gómez D (Producer, Editing), David Curto (Cinematographer), Belen Toscano y Garcia (Production design)
Q&A duration
Screening duration
6th Hall Apollo Kino Coca-Cola Plaza
Screening160605 / Kõrbeseeme
SubtitlesEnglish, Estonian
Screening duration
Trailer
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