Homeless Citizens Participate in Film Conference at Carlos E. Restrepo Public Library

• Throughout this week, homeless citizens participated in a film conference held at the Carlos E. Restrepo public library.

• In different activities, some short films and the films “Silence in paradise” and “Enchantment” were screened.

• It is estimated that in the 3 days that the cinematographic event lasted, more than 140 homeless citizens participated.

Bogota, DC, April 23, 2023. It is commonly known that the cinema is a space for coexistence, art, culture, education and fun, something that the citizens who live on the streets knew how to take advantage of in the best way, who, in different groups, activities and services, throughout This week they participated in a day of films at the Carlos E. Restrepo Library.

The citizens and former street residents who participated in the event are part of SEDID, the El Camino Life Community Home, the La Victoria Life Community and the La Sabana day-night shelter, and it is estimated that they participated a total of 141 citizens.

Initially, last Tuesday there were a total of 56 participants who, in turn, are beneficiaries of the Cipreia strategy, they in the midst of continuing with their academic processes, remembering the context of the Colombian armed conflict and studying for peace, observed the film “Silence in Paradise”, which deals with the story of two humble young people who live in the Paraíso neighborhood and who are victims of false positives.

In the middle of the film, the participants in the activity felt a great empathy with the protagonist, they were constantly wishing him the best, they suffered when adverse situations happened to him, and they ended up a little disappointed by his sad ending.

German Forero, a homeless citizen who is part of SEDID and a beneficiary of the Cipreia strategy, stated: “The film was good because it showed us a reality that we live in our country and that it was sad, and the Chinese (protagonist) had to do he did less more, he didn’t have much and he wasn’t doing well, but little by little he was able to get ahead, and no, they painted wonders for him, they deceived him and well, it’s a pity because that’s how many young people were”.

As for last Thursday and Friday, there were a total of 50 and 35 participants respectively, but this time the day had other objectives, which consisted of taking advantage of free time, getting out of the routine a bit, taking the stress off and making people feel to the citizens who live on the streets as if they were actually in a cinema, so that this time the projected film was “Encanto”.

Lots of laughter, strong emotions, a great atmosphere of joy, tranquility and more laughter, were the sensations experienced by the participants in the activity, who ended the film with great applause and were quite grateful, as they stated that the recreational spaces were necessary for all his process and personal development.

Miller Gómez, a homeless citizen who is part of the La Sabana Day-Night Transit Home, said: “This movie was very good, you had a lot of fun, and it was cool because in a way it was like going back to your childhood and childhood. , and for those who say that dolls are only for children, it is not true, we can all learn, it taught me to fight for my dreams, that I am not small and I should never give up.

In these spaces, the Secretariat for Social Integration seeks the implementation of rights, gender, differential and territory approaches to citizens who live on the streets, so that it is expected that there will be more days of film screenings.