panopticon

A photo-animation film.

World Premiere: Latin American Film Festival, September 10th 2010
Bogota International Film Festival, October 2011
Museum of Modern Art, Bogota, Colombia, March 2012

Colombia/Canada, 2010. 34 min English/Spanish
Produced & Directed by Diego Samper
Photography & Image Manipulation: Diego Samper
Editor & Animation Design: Jamie Griffiths & Diego Samper
Composer, Sound Design & Audio Mix: Steve Wright

In the Colombian town of Ibagué, a prison for political prisoners was built in the late nineteen century, loosely based on a surveillance architectural design called Panopticon. This dreamlike, surreal animated video was created from the photographic images taken by Diego Samper in 2003, just few days after the buildings was emptied, previous to a complete renovation in order to house a new cultural center. It reveals a rich visual universe of prison art and, through it, aspects of contemporary Colombian social and political reality. But beyond that, it reflects on the principle of freedom. Is the Panopticon imprisoning freedom itself?

AWARDS AND EXHIBITIONS

Jan 2013 Globians Tri-City Film Festival, Germany International Documentary selection.
Oct 2011 Bogota International Film Festival, Honorable Mention.
Aug 2010 Latin American Film Festival, World Premiere, Vancouver, Canada.

MEDIA LINKS

Read an analysis of the project from 'Notes concerning the Panopticon' by Geoffrey Smedley

Read a media-blog from a Bogota journalist

Read a media report on international website 'Outsider Art'

EXCERPT from the 34 minute film.