Pepe

CN: Thematization of violence
In the Colombian jungle, the hippo Pepe is killed. His ghost narrates the story of his life, including why he ended up living in Colombia when his ancestors' homeland is in Africa. It’s a complicated and complex tale, with many interwoven elements. Loose connections solidify, and the closer we examine the historical references, the more absurd everything seems. Patient like a hippo, we dive into a world full of stories, told in different languages. The narrative forms also shift, moving from archival footage to fictional scenes or experimentally edited nature shots. Colonial past and present, globalization, violence, exploitation, the flow of money and drugs, migration, and environmental disasters – these stories, like history itself, go in circles. Media hypes blend in serious and playful, authentic and deceptive ways with ancient tales. A complex, hybrid film that rests in itself while moving in many directions. And by the time we emerge at the end, it all somehow makes sense. (Sarah Adam)