Sergio Cabrera, Macondo Honor Award 2026: I leave you young people with a piece of advice: be rebellious

The fourteenth edition of the Premios Macondo took place on Sunday, October 25, in Cali, honoring Colombian cinema professionals and productions from the previous year. The ceremony gathered much of the national film industry for a night dedicated to celebrating movies and their creators. The feature film Un Poeta emerged as the dominant winner of the evening, securing seven awards to become the most decorated production at the event. Directed by Simon Mesa Soto, the movie claimed top honors including Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Lead Actor, and Best Lead Actress. In second place regarding the number of accolades was Adios al Amigo, which received five prizes. This production excelled particularly in categories related to music and sound, taking home awards for Best Original Music, Best Original Song, and Best Sound. It also won for Best Supporting Actor and Best Costume Design. The film Horizonte accumulated four additional awards during the ceremony. These included Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Makeup, and Best Visual Effects. Other productions and individuals also received recognition, alongside special distinctions such as the Honorary Macondo Award presented to director Sergio Cabrera and the Macondo Crafts Award given to Carlos Congote. Ubeimar Rios, who starred in Un Poeta, accepted the award for Best Lead Actor. He noted that despite having only one film to his credit and limited prior experience, he secured one of the most important categories at the awards. Speaking after the ceremony, Rios expressed that the prize continues to surprise him just as the first one did. He stated that he receives all recognitions with the same love and affection, regardless of their origin. Rios emphasized the need to keep working, mentioning that he has already submitted several auditions and that one process is advancing significantly. He acknowledged the ephemeral nature of success while expressing a desire to continue moving forward. Sergio Cabrera delivered a prepared speech upon receiving the Honorary Macondo Award. He began by noting that had the ceremony occurred two years later, in 2028, it would have coincided with the fiftieth anniversary of the premiere of his first short film, Diario de Viaje. That initial screening took place on November 14, 1978, at the District Cinematheque in Bogota. Cabrera thanked the organizers for presenting the award earlier, acknowledging that he could not guarantee his presence in two years. He reflected on the evolution of the Colombian Academy of Arts and Cinematographic Sciences, recalling a time when there was no academy, only a small group of filmmakers. He observed that the industry has traveled far together since then. Cabrera cited a Chinese proverb stating that if one wants to arrive quickly, they should walk alone, but if they want to go far, they should walk accompanied. He applied this metaphor to the growth of the film community. He thanked the academy members whose votes granted him the honorary distinction, describing the award as an embrace from his own home. He stressed that filmmaking is a collective effort and credited his colleagues for being stubborn and talented. He also thanked his family for teaching him that leaving does not mean forgetting, and for waiting for his return. He referenced years of exile, impossible shoots, and starting over again. During his address, Cabrera argued that films are made not merely for entertainment but to explain identity. He suggested that a country unable to see itself on screen cannot imagine itself. He stated that cinema provides memory, even when some prefer its absence. He asserted that lasting peace requires narrative and that the future requires imagination. He called for more diverse, risky, and local films. He urged children to dream of becoming directors, sound technicians, screenwriters, and actors, rather than solely aspiring to be football players or content creators. He advised young filmmakers to be rebellious, citing his refusal to accept early refusals. He rejected claims that political or historical cinema could not be made in Colombia, or that big dreams were impossible from a small country. The complete list of winners included specific recipients across technical and artistic categories. For Best Documentary Feature, El Juego de la Vida produced by Septima Films SAS won. The Brazilian film O Agente Secreto took the award for Best Ibero-American Feature Film from the FIACINE festival. In short film categories, Sukua from La Fortaleza Films won Best Fiction Short, Una Vez en un Cuerpo from Pez Dorado Animaciones won Best Animation Short, and Mi Viche Todo el Dia from Vertigo Cine won Best Documentary Short. The Audience Award went to El Juego de la Vida. The Sustainable Macondo Award was awarded to Golan from Cinema Co. Technical awards recognized specific contributions to winning films. Mateo Guzman won Best Cinematography for Horizonte. Ricardo Saraiva won Best Editing for Un Poeta. Edson Velandia and Camilo Escobar shared the win for Best Original Music for Adios al Amigo, while Velandia individually won Best Original Song for the same film. Daniel Garces Najar, Jose Jairo Florez Florez, and Jose Valenzuela won Best Sound for Adios al Amigo. Marcela Gomez won Best Production Design for Horizonte. Diana Oliva won Best Costume Design for Adios al Amigo. Lina Cadavid won Best Makeup for Horizonte. Juan Manuel Betancourt, Hadi Abou Ghazale, and Pascal Giroux won Best Visual Effects for Horizonte. Cristian Hernandez won Best Supporting Actor for Adios al Amigo, and Allison Correa won Best Supporting Actress for Un Poeta. Rebeca Andrade won Best Lead Actress for Un Poeta.