Cinefondation Atelier: “The Stoplight Society” – Rubén Mendoza

Rubén Mendoza from Columbia first came to Cannes to screen one of his short films, The Fence, in the Cinéfondation selection in 2005. In 2008 he is presenting a first feature film project in the Cinéfondation Atelier entitled The Spotlight Society, for which he has already received one quarter of the budget. Speaking about his intentions, “It is an attempt to redeem or, above all, try to explain the third world. I am drawn to stories through the revelations they offer my head, heart and eyes.”

Early in the week, Ruben had already met with prospective producers. “We already had three meetings. They reacted quite well. Our main characters are not professional actors at all. The spirit of the film is about people who live in very tough conditions. It’s a celebration of their lives as well as anarchy, which is what interests me most in cinema.”

On how he came to filmmaking, Rubén said, “I think that film is like the playground of the adults. For me the camera has always been a magical toy. What I really want to do is to play with some people and create. To contemplate things that I think are beautiful, that’s what I like to do with a camera; it is a good weapon to portray monsters and people on the margin.”

On the Festival de Cannes, Rubén said, “I think it is like a coin with two faces. There is the bad face, but they have taken from that one to give to the other, that of low-profile directors or works from the third world. They are really interested in people with different points of view or in tough conditions. I would be honoured to bring a film here because it would make the path easier.”