A special screening is taking place in Colombia today for a Banijay doc about the reconciliation between Pablo Escobar’s son and the son of politician Rodrigo Lara, whose father’s death was ordered by the drug kingpin.
Representing a milestone in South American TV and politics, the screening of Lara: The Man Who Tried To Save Colombia in the capital Bogotá is a commemoration of the 41st anniversary of Lara’s assassination. It has been organized by the Jorge Lara Restrepo Foundation in alliance with the Universidad Externado de Colombia.
The doc’s BAFTA-winning director Mags Gavan is attending the event today alongside members of Lara’s family, prominent politicians, buyers across Lat Am and delegates from Embassies of The Netherlands, UK, Norway and Switzerland in Colombia.
Lara’s son Jorge Lara died during the making of the film, which we revealed nearly three years back.
Told via double narrative, the film shows the extraordinary reconciliation between Jorge Lara and Escobar’s son Sebastián Marroquín. Upon learning of his father’s death, Jorge Lara was initially out for revenge but a twist of fate reconciled him with Marroquín, the child of one of the most notorious criminals of all time, as he realized they had more in common than he first thought. Escobar has long been a source of fascination in South America and beyond and Gavan, who won a BAFTA for Saving Africa’s Witch Children, has previously said she dedicated over a decade of time to get access for the feature.
Today’s event is a “call to action for the Colombian government and prosecutors to fully investigate the crime, still unsolved, and to hold accountable those who stood with Escobar,” said Gavan.
“Jorge died holding his father’s written notes, notes of prominent people in Colombia he believed were connected to the drug trade,” she added. “Jorge died with the pain in his heart, that people who were involved in his father’s assassination were still not brought to justice.”
Lina and Carolina Flórez García, co-founders of the Jorge Lara Restrepo Foundation and producers of the film in Colombia, added: “Lara: The Man Who Tried to Save Colombia is not just a film; it is an act of resistance. Through the harrowing journey of Jorge Andrés Lara Restrepo —who defied the imposed oblivion following the still-unpunished assassination of his father, Minister Rodrigo Lara Bonilla—, this work denounces the systemic corruption within the justice system that has prevented the truth about his father’s murder from being revealed. At the same time, the film offers a luminous path toward reconciliation.”
Simon Cox, EVP Content & Acquisitions, Banijay Rights, said: “This project is a reconciliation tale like no other and to see this landmark screening go ahead – in the very city where Rodrigo Lara was assassinated – and to bring together so many family, friends, and partners in one place, is an incredibly poignant moment for us at Banijay Rights, Red Rebel and Scenery. It’s an honour for the film to be a part of this event and we wish everyone involved the very best of success.”
The doc is a Scenery (a Banijay Benelux Joint Venture) and Red Rebel Films production, in partnership with Banijay Rights, which handles global distribution.
