5 Must-Watch Colombian Documentaries

This is a guest post by AllTheRooms, a New-York-based travel company.

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For an outsider, Colombia conjures images of drug cartels, gangs and armed conflicts, but for those living or traveling through Colombia, we know there is a lot more to this beautiful country.

If you’re trying to learn more about Colombia but find articles and Wikipedia a bit bland, documentaries are an entertaining way to learn more about Colombia’s history, politics and culture.

Whether you are interested in learning more about Colombia’s political history, incredible biodiversity, its magical indigenous population, or its dark narco-trafficking past, AllTheRooms has rounded up the five best Colombian documentaries for you to watch:

 

1. Colombia: Wild Magic (Colombia Magia Salvaje)

Colombia isn’t all jungle. There’s also paramos, desert, cloud forests, and so many other different types of habitats. Discover them all through Colombia: Wild Magic, or Colombia Magia Salvaje.

A beautiful documentary showcasing the incredible flora and fauna that can be found in Colombia, the documentary takes you from one beautiful panorama to the next, showing lush jungles, dense forests, tropical plants and rare wildlife.

The documentary shows Colombian wildlife as never seen-before, with close-up shots of butterflies emerging from cocoons and territorial fights between hummingbirds.

Throughout the documentary, there’s a strong narrative reminding the viewer how important it is to care for our environment. At the time the film was released, it was the highest grossing movie in Colombian cinemas. It’s an easy 90 minutes Colombian documentary to watch and a great way to learn more.

 

2. Embrace of the Serpent (El Abrazo de la Serpiente)

It’s no surprise that Embrace of the Serpent, or El Abrazo de la Serpiente, was the first Colombian film to receive an Oscar nomination.

The film is a masterpiece and offers a spectacular look into the history of the Colombian Amazon. The film looks at the experiences of indigenous tribes in the Amazon and follows the story of a shaman (the last of his people), who helped both a German explorer seeking a plant to cure his illness in 1909 and an American botanist also seeking the same plant, however 30 years later in the 1940s.

While it is a drama film, the film is based on the real-life journals of explorers Theodor Koch-Grünberg and Richard Evans Schultes, who traveled through the Colombian Amazon in the 20th century, in search of the rare psychedelic Yakruna plant.

The film features stunning black and white cinematography. And of course, the makers took great care in ensuring that the film did not exploit the indigenous communities featured, or use racists and negative stereotypes of Amazonians.

The film leaves a poignant message for its viewers about the importance of preserving Amazonian communities, this Colombian documentary is perfect for those who want to explore the magical realism of the country.

 

3. The Two Escobars

The Two Escobars is a documentary exploring the separate tales of the drug lord Pablo Escobar and the soccer player Andres Escobar, who was killed in Medellin after he accidentally scored an own-goal in the World Cup in 1994.

While they share a surname, both men were not related.

The documentary takes a look at how crime, drugs, politics and sports were very much intertwined as the rise of soccer in Colombia was linked with an influx of drug-money given to the teams by Pablo Escobar and other cartel members.

After Pablo Escobar was killed in 1993, money, politics and crime contributed to the death of Andres Escobar the following year in 1994.

 

4. The Rose Seller (La Vendedora de Rosas)

This all-time favorite of mine is one of the most famous Colombian films.

Set in Medellin, it tells the story of the Rose Seller, or La Vendedora de Rosas. While it’s not a documentary, it is based on real life accounts and hardships faced by children living on the streets Medellin in the 1990s.

The cast of the film is made up of untrained actors, featuring children from poorest neighborhoods in Medellin. Tragically, 20 years later, many of the featured child actors were either imprisoned or dead.

The moving film provides an authentic glimpse into the hard life on the streets in Medellin.

 

5. To End a War

To End a War provides a detailed insight into the peace process in Colombia. In September 2012 the Colombian Government and left-wing guerrilla group FARC began having peace talks on neutral ground in Havana, Cuba, which lasted for five years until a so called “agreement” was made in 2017.

The documentary provides an interesting point of view into the peace process and explores important themes such as strategy, politics and forgiveness.

The Colombian documentary also takes a look at a pivotal moment in Colombian history, as for many, this may be the last chance at finding peace, after 52-years of civil war (and the longest civil war in Latin America).

The film covers tense moments during the peace process, and takes a look at the strategy to disarm FARC insurgents and reintegrate the group into the community.

There you go! I hope I’ve given you plenty of material to keep you busy.

Which Colombian documentary did you learn a lot from or fall in love with?

Was it the Vendedora de Rosas like me?