AS FAR AS WE COULD GET

In this short film full of twists and turns (both literal and metaphorical), Iván Argote digs an imaginary tunnel between Indonesia and Colombia, the country of his birth – more specifically, between Palembang and Neiva, which have the rare privilege of being one of only six pairs of exactly antipodal cities. In both cities, he rents billboards to advertise the simultaneous release of a film called Love’s Revenge. He also talks to young people whose date of birth coincides with the fall of the Berlin Wall, creating an unexpected link between History and individual biographies. In constant comings and goings between the two cities, the camera records as many similarities as di erences, focusing particularly on any imagery to do with basketball. While this sport obviously highlights the gravitational
force between the two cities, it also crystallises the advertising codes of liberal iconography all over the world. As always (e.g. The Messengers, FID2014, Fructose, FID2016 and Reddishblue Memories, FID2018), Ivan Argote is in a hurry; his ideas come thick and fast, with visual appeal, joyful intelligence and emotion captured in every shot. He uses film as both a precision instrument and to give our gaze a kick start– and we’re extremely grateful to him for it. (J.P.R.)