For approximately 49 years, INPUT, the global gathering of audiovisual narratives held every year, has been organized in different cities around the world. Now it is Bogota’s turn for the first time, from May 4 to 7. At the Cinemateca Distrital, 67 productions from 19 countries selected by the curatorial committee will be screened.
It is a showcase, that is, a space where complete television programs and public and cultural media are viewed. These programs bring very interesting narratives (storytelling) in different formats: fiction, documentaries, reality shows, and studio programs (developed in recording studios), which represent the current state from the innovation and inspiration of public media around the world. INPUT is aimed at producers, university students, academics and all people related to the production and narratives of public, digital and/or cultural media.
Bogota strengthens its internationalization bet
“It is a training space where you, as a producer, creator, researcher or student, can be inspired for your own narratives and stories, as well as network with very interesting people from countries that rarely come to Colombia; such as people from Japan, Norway, Canada, who specialize precisely in telling this type of stories and creating this type of audiovisual narratives for public television around the world,” said Claudia Rodriguez Valencia, director of Preciosa Media and national coordinator of INPUT in Colombia.
With initiatives such as INPUT, Bogota strengthens its internationalization bet by hosting this audiovisual convergence gathering. Being the host city allows it to boost the capacities of the agents who participate in this industry, as well as to consolidate connections that validate and expand the positioning of Bogota as a global reference.
For that reason, this gathering is supported by the Alcaldia Mayor de Bogota through the Secretariat of Culture, Recreation and Sport, and the District Institute of the Arts with the Cinemateca.
“It is very significant that for the first time in South America this gathering for public television is being held,” highlighted Santiago Trujillo, Secretary of Culture, Recreation and Sport of Bogota. “We feel proud that Bogota is the venue for major events, not only of public initiative but also private, that embellish the capital and turn it into an epicenter of large-scale gatherings such as INPUT.”
The official understands INPUT as “the opportunity to highlight production companies and sector agents who create innovative content and high-quality formats. Bogota is ready to receive 500 international guests and continue strengthening the audiovisual ecosystem of the region.”
Three Colombian productions participate in INPUT
The dynamics of INPUT work like a soccer World Cup: each country has the opportunity to send content to secure its place in each edition. Colombia currently sends seven productions to an evaluation committee that receives around 500 programs and within a week must announce those selected.
Of the seven Colombian productions, three were selected, which reveals strong national representation: “Capacidades diversas” (“Diverse abilities”) (Canal Trece); “V de verguenza” (“V for Shame”) (Teleantioquia); and “El Nino Kankurang, la ballena y sus amigos y Paciteranga entre dos mares” (“The child Kankurang, the whale and its friends, and Paciteranga between two seas”) (Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Knowledge and Telepacifico).
The selection includes representatives from Germany, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, Spain, the United States, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, India, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, South Korea and Taiwan. INPUT is not a festival: it is a living laboratory where ideas inspire, are discussed, confronted and leave a mark.