La Suprema

We are screening La Suprema in association with the IFI Schools Programme. A studyguide for this film is available from the IFI website. This screening is open to schools only. If you are a teacher and would like to book please contact info@mermaidartscentre.ie or call Box Office on 01 272 4030. See all school screenings here.

About the film:
Set in 2001 Colombia and to La Suprema, a tiny and remote village in the Caribbean region that’s far from any beach and seemingly lost in time.

Laureana is a strong-willed teenager who’s not about to conform to society or what her Abuela have in store for her. When she finds out via the newspaper that her estranged uncle is days away from fighting in a boxing world championship in Venezuela, she ignites a spark that gets the whole town on board with watching the match live on national television.

The problem? It may be the 21st century, but the village has no electricity and no one has a TV set.

Community:
A strong theme in the film is the theme of community. The village is closely knit, it seems everyone knows each other, and everyone comes together in communal areas. They live what appears to be a basic life in comparison to the western world. The washing up takes place in the river, children play with dominoes and as mentioned there is no electricity. Initially everyone is hesitant to Laureana’s idea.

Eventually Laureana rallies the village to fundraise for the cost of a TV and enlists the help of Efraín the local trainer who discovered her uncle years ago, who agrees to follow her lead and set out on a journey for the big city.

La Suprema and Columbia:
La Suprema is continually referenced in the film as being ‘lost’ it doesn’t appear on any maps and during one of the scenes at school this is linked to the historic rulers. Though this film is set in 2001 it’s not unusual today for areas of Columbia to go without electricity.

The ZNI are regions that do not receive electricity through the Colombian national grid. These regions make up 52% of the nation’s territory (equivalent to the size of France).

Much more than a setting or background, La Suprema and its inhabitants embody the endearing — and enduring — qualities of collective effort, joys, and pain.

Music:
One of the most striking elements of this film is the sound and music throughout. You’ll hear at different points the singing of the village, complete silence as the village is free form hum and noise of devices and then when Laureana and Efraín get to the big city, its big and loud and overwhelming both in noise and visually. Director Felipe Holguín Caro's captures the vibrancy of the town’s inner life; the musicality of daily talk and chores being done by the river, time spent playing dominoes, and just kids being kids.

The film is a treat and ultimately a tale of a village going against all odds to for this history-making moment might put their town on the map.