This Bolero is for "Ita"

THIS BOLERO
IS FOR “ITA”

ONELINER

Faced with a dull life and forced separation due to an unexpected border crisis, a couple of grandparents rediscover their feelings through the music they love the most, the bolero.

SYNOPSIS

Gustavo Hernández is an old radio announcer who lives in the state of San Antonio de Táchira, Venezuela, alongside his wife Gloria, a simple housewife who has lost the joy of living due to being confined to a wheelchair. While Gustavo is broadcasting his usual bolero program, the station’s console breaks down. He decides to secretly travel to the city of Cúcuta, Colombia, to get it repaired.
However, upon embarking on his return journey, he encounters the sudden closure of the border and the massive exodus of displaced Colombians. Despite Gustavo’s attempts to communicate with Gloria to ensure she is safe, all efforts are in vain as she refuses to forgive him for leaving without informing her. As the days pass, the border situation worsens, but Gustavo discovers the most ingenious way to reunite with his beloved Ita: by playing their favorite bolero on the radio as a dedication.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

WRITER: Camila Caballero
ENGLISH NAME: This bolero is for “Ita”
ORIGINAL TITLE: Un bolero para “Ita”
GENRE: Drama
FORMAT: Feature
RUNNING TIME: 90 minutes
ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Spanish
COUNTRY: Colombia
SHOOTING FORMAT: 2.35 l 4k
STAGE: Development

WRITER STATEMENT

The love of my grandparents has always seemed very particular to me. It’s not a love of affectionate demonstrations or grand gestures; rather, it’s a love of life companions, of people who take care of each other and share their daily lives through nostalgia.

From my grandparents, Gustavo and Gloria, emerges “A Bolero for Ita,” as a love story of two elderly individuals told through the lens of border drama, inspired by the events that occurred around August 2016 when the neighboring country declared a state of emergency, displacing over a thousand Colombians from their established homes in Venezuela.

The images of this event circulated worldwide, but two of them remained etched in my memory. It seemed very sad to witness people crossing the river while carrying only a few of their belongings, knowing they would not return. I was also deeply impacted by seeing Venezuelan guards marking the homes of exiled Colombians with a letter “D” spray-painted on them, indicating they would be demolished later.

“A Bolero for Ita” is a story through which I aim to convey the drama of displacement, the pains of those who have had to migrate, and its bitter consequences. Yet, at the same time, I seek to depict the strength of the human spirit, which, through a feeling as genuine as love, manages to overcome any border that stands in its way.

Camila Caballero.

WRITER’S BIOGRAPHY

Graduate in Film and Television from the Unitec University Corporation. In 2013, she won the “Bogoshorts en obra” award with the screenplay for the short film “Alma,” which premiered at the Bogotá Short Film Festival, Bogoshorts, in 2014.

Winner of the FDC in the feature film screenplay category with the project “Juana Silencios” in 2016. In 2017, she won again with the screenplay “Las cosas que se pierden,” and in 2018, she won for the third time with “A Bolero for Ita” Winner of the BAM Stories in 2019 with the screenplay “Las cosas que se pierden,” granting her direct access to the Cine Qua Non Lab screenplay laboratory in Tzintzuntzan, Mexico, held in February 2020.

In November 2020, she directed her second short film, “Adulto Mayor,” and in 2021, she created the web mini-series “Encuarentusado.” Both projects were winners of the “Grandes historias con pequeñas cámaras” (Great Stories with Small Cameras) call for entries, organized by Min Tic in partnership with the Smart Films cellphone film festival.

COMPANY’S BIOGRAPHY

Red Collision, established in 2017 is an audiovisual production company with more than six years of experience that reshapes entertainment with original films, gripping genre series, and top-tier production services. In 2020 they produced their first feature film called UN TAL ALONSO QUIJANO, directed by LIBA STELLA GÓMEZ with the support of Dago García Producciones and Caracol Televisión; it was released in 2021 with a digital strategy, reaching more than 500,000 viewers.

It also has a portfolio of projects in development for sale. Its feature film “The Trail” is a crime thriller that won the FDC in the category of post production and will be released in 2024. Currently, 4 more projects are underway, 2 in post-production: “I call them souls” and “Enemy in the mirror” and 2 scheduled for filming in 2024, all slated for release between 2025 and 2026.

Red Collision introduced “Red Script Factory” in 2024, a dynamic writers’ room that is a hive of constant ideation, crafting captivating stories and epic scripts to revolutionize original content. With a portfolio of projects in development for sale they’re here to redefine storytelling excellence.

LOOK AND FEEL REFERENCES

CHARACTERS PROFILE

GUSTAVO (75)

He is a sturdy, tall, and dark-skinned man, with green eyes and a seductive smile. A radio announcer hailing from Boyacá Colombia, he deeply loves boleros. Not only is he a music enthusiast of this genre, but he is also one of the few who keeps it alive through his profession.

Gradually, his life has become blurred, enslaved by routine, and increasingly distant from his wife. Gustavo focuses all his attention on the radio station, which is inevitably falling apart. He clings to the memory of his golden days, completely ignoring the life slipping away, filled with small details.

GLORIA (70)

Petite, with dark skin and grey-haired, she has deep and nostalgic brown eyes. A housewife who, after suffering a car accident at the age of sixty, is confined to a wheelchair.

Gloria has always been an active and determined woman, but her condition has dimmed that internal fire, and she often takes it out on her husband.
Soon, she will discover not only the value of her life partner’s presence but also rekindle the love she has always felt for him.