The film Un Poeta, by director Simon Mesa Soto, has been chosen by the Colombian Academy of Arts and Cinematographic Sciences to represent Colombia at the upcoming 2026 Academy Awards and the Goya Awards in Spain. This recognition highlights not only the quality of the film but also the vitality and diversity that Colombian cinema is experiencing today.
Un Poeta premiered in May at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where it won an award and was later released in Colombian theaters at the end of August. The film is a drama-comedy, shot and set in Medellin, and stars Ubeimar Rios, Rebeca Andrade, Guillermo Cardona, Allison Correa, Margarita Soto, and Humberto Restrepo.
The movie draws heavily on the social tradition of the 1970s and is just beginning its long journey toward possibly making the list of Oscar finalists, something that will not be known until January of next year.
‘Un Poeta,’ Colombia’s film competing for the Oscars and Goyas
Film authorities selected Colombian film Un Poeta to represent the South American country at next year’s Oscars and Goyas. According to the Colombian Film Academy, other high-quality national productions also took part in the selection process, such as Adios al Amigo by Ivan David Gaona, Alma del Desierto by Monica Taboada-Tapia, and Mi Bestia by Camila Beltran, among others.
“The selection of Un Poeta not only highlights the strength of its artistic proposal but also demonstrates the level and diversity of the stories that are shaping today’s Colombian cinematic landscape,” the Academy’s press release stated.
The film has successfully toured major international festivals and, just this Tuesday, will be one of the Colombian productions in Spain’s San Sebastian Film Festival. At home, it has already surpassed 120,000 viewers in Colombian theaters.
Un Poeta was produced by Ocultimo and Medio de Contencion Producciones, with support from Proimagenes Colombia, the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Knowledge, Caracol Television, and Dago Garcia Producciones.
Director Simon Mesa Soto expressed his excitement about the designation, noting that Colombian audiences’ support has filled him “with emotion” and that the news of the film representing the country is “an enormous challenge that deeply excites us.” This official nomination, if it advances to the awards ceremony, would be the crowning achievement of what has already been a special year for the team behind the film.
Everyday disenchantment through a deeply local lens in ‘Un Poeta’
Drawing from the tradition of 1970s social cinema, the film tells the story of Oscar Restrepo, an aging, somewhat clumsy poet who, upon meeting Yurlady, a young woman with a talent for writing, rekindles his frustrated dreams of leaving a mark through art. Set in Medellin and shot on 16 mm, the movie immerses itself in the disenchantment of everyday life through a deeply local perspective.
The film gained wide recognition during its pre-premiere at Cannes, where it won in the Un Certain Regard category, generating great anticipation months before its successful release in Colombia less than a month ago.
“This is my most personal film. The poet is also me. There’s a lot of my frustrations as a writer, of the years spent trying to make films in Colombia, of the doubts, the fear of becoming just another teacher who dreamed of filmmaking but couldn’t. This film is also a way of laughing at that, of doing something punk, ugly, and beautiful at the same time,” the director said.
Although the road to the Oscars remains complex, the nomination of the film as Colombia’s official entry is already a success for its producers.
For the Oscars, submissions in the Best International Feature Film category close on Oct. 1. From there, the Academy will draft a shortlist of 15 titles, from which the five final nominees to compete in the February ceremony will be selected. On Jan. 22, 2026, it will be revealed whether Un Poeta makes it into the Oscar nominations, a result eagerly awaited by the Colombian film community.
For the Goyas, the process differs: once candidacies are received from Ibero-American countries, it is the members of the Spanish Academy themselves who, through voting, decide the finalist films.
Toward building a unique Colombian cinema
Beyond the final outcome, the selection already represents a recognition of enormous symbolic weight. Representing Colombia at these two prestigious international film events is not only an opportunity to showcase Mesa Soto’s work but also a platform to demonstrate the maturity of the local industry.
Colombian cinema, which just two decades ago struggled to gain a foothold in A-list festivals, is now producing films that combine artistic quality with audience resonance. In that sense, Un Poeta serves as a synthesis of a process where new filmmakers’ training, support from public and private institutions, and the consolidation of audiences willing to back homegrown stories all converge.
The film’s success can also be read as a sign of confidence in the ability of Colombian ‘auteur cinema’ to engage with global audiences. Taking steps toward an exportable cinema — one that goes beyond local sitcom-based productions and themes that guarantee television success — marks progress toward the universalization of Colombian cinema, toward telling stories globally from a Colombian perspective.
Unlike other productions that lean on more conventional narratives or genres with greater commercial appeal, Mesa Soto’s work is defined by its lyrical tone, its slow gaze, and its commitment to human sensitivities that cross borders. This balance between the intimate and the universal has been key to its positive reception at festivals and is what the Colombian Academy sought to highlight when choosing it as a candidate.
In today’s landscape, where competition is fierce and international awards are increasingly demanding, securing a formal nomination will not be easy. But even if it doesn’t reach the final stage, the film has already fulfilled an essential role: consolidating Colombia’s presence in the global conversation on contemporary cinema and reinforcing the idea that the country is capable of producing works of high artistic and technical caliber.