Sebastián León-Giraldo

The project «Filmmaking as a tool to transform cities» was a research initiative led by Sebastián León Giraldo, funded by Proimágenes in 2019. The project explored the role of cinema in urban transformation, focusing on Bogotá. It aimed to understand how the film industry and community filmmaking influence and reflect the city’s evolution.

Theoretical and Practical Components

The research combined theoretical and practical components to examine the cinema-city relationship. The theoretical component identified approaches from literature that link cinema and urban spaces, developing conceptual frameworks to analyze these relationships in Bogotá. It emphasized the importance of interdisciplinarity in understanding the cinema-city connection.

The practical component included:

1. Industry Dynamics: Understanding how the film industry operates in Bogotá.
2. Community Cinema: Collaborating with La Red Comunitaria Trans to explore the impact of community filmmaking.
3. COVID-19 Impact: Studying the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the film industry and community cinema.

Methods used included interviews, focus groups, and qualitative and quantitative data analysis. These methods provided insights into how the industry functions, the geographical relationship between audiovisual media users and the city, perceptions of the Bronx Creative District policy, and the evolution of the film industry in Colombia.

Conclusion

This project provided valuable insights into the cinema-city relationship in Bogotá, contributing to both academic literature and practical policy recommendations. The findings aimed to inform public policy and support the audiovisual industry’s development, especially in the post-pandemic context. As the Principal Investigator (PI), I ensured a comprehensive analysis that highlighted the significant role of cinema in urban transformation.