Piedras preciosas

Young Colombian immigrant Machado has a job harvesting grapes in the French countryside. He also seems to have a criminal past, as a female gangster boss hires him to steal a valuable emerald – dressed up as a priest, from a famous church close to Medellín. Yet this supposedly watertight plan quickly goes awry... Images and moments, woven together with fine threads: amusingly and with considerable lightness of touch, director Simón Vélez gets to grips with and reconfigures the gangster film genre. The plot is characterised by original dramatic paths rather than a classical linear narration: pared down in terms of action and dialogue, unfolding at unique locations that don’t just frame the plot but enter into a congenial unity with the characters. The striking camerawork carries out expeditions through Colombia’s multi-faceted flora – at once shimmering and shining, just like the object of desire. Imposing colour compositions, energetic dances, cool costume design: Piedras preciosas is a feature debut that elegantly eschews Colombian stereotypes, relates to colonial history and cultivates a timeless pop aesthetic. (Ansgar Vogt)

Simón Vélez, born in Medellín, Colombia, in 1990, is a director and producer. He studied film at Universidad del Cine (FUC) in Buenos Aires. His short film La máxima longitud de un puente (2018) received a Special Mention at the Locarno Film Festival, and Los mayores ríos se deslizan bajo tierra (2022) won the Best Short Film Award at the Valdivia Film Festival. His work is marked by a distinctive authorial voice that explores nature, territory, and the realm of dreams, as well as the tensions between urban life and the countryside.

Director Simón Vélez. Screenplay Paulo Carneiro. Cinematography Mauricio Reyes, Liberman Arango. Editing Juan Cañola. Music Carlos Quebrada. Sound Design Daniel Giraldo, Juanma López. Costumes Paula Ciro. Producer Simón Vélez. Executive Producers Simón Vélez, Paulo Carneiro. Production companies Triángulo (Medellin, Colombia), Bam Bam Cinema (Porto, Portugal). With Juan Lugo, Laura Taurines, Sofía Jaramillo, Yira Plaza, Daniel Cortés, Chiara Spolaor.

Films: 2015: Por ver la luz en tus pupilas / The Light in Your Eyes (short film). 2016: Historia del agua / Water Story (short film). 2018: La máxima longitud de un puente / Big Bridge (short film). 2022: Los mayores ríos se deslizan bajo tierra / Underground Rivers (short film). 2024: Histoira del aire / Air Story (short film). 2026: Piedras preciosas / Gemstones.