By - Amit kumaR Agarwal
- From Personal Struggles to the Oscars
One of the highlights at IFFI Goa was the Colombian film, Un poeta (The Poet).
Cineastes worldwide know the film because it was one of the most talked about film at the Cannes Film Festival 2025.
Winner of Jury Prize, Un Certain Regard section at Festival de Cannes 2025, the film is one of the favorites at the 56th IFFI.
In the director's own words, the film, " draws a lot from my personal journey".
The director, Simón Jairo Mesa Soto, was in India and he was all appreciative about the Indian hospitality, "Oh, I love the paneer lababdaar that I tried for the very first time here," he gushed
Coming back to the film he shared that "A Poet" is his second feature film. He revealed that the story draws from personal experiences and early-life struggles. The film centers on an aging poet who finds renewed purpose while mentoring a gifted teenager, even as he worries about exposing her to the challenges that once stalled his own ambitions.
Expressing delight, Mesa was ecstatic that his film has been selected as Colombia’s official entry to the Oscars.
Mesa concluded with a smile, "I love India and hopefully I will be back with my 3rd film here soon, hopefully at the IFFI".