Pregnant girls at the age of 13 or grandmothers at the age of 26 are of no surprise in Colombian slums. In the poorest social class, violence against women is especially striking: rape, sexual abuse or sex trafficking of minors happen on an everyday basis. Teenage pregnancies are extremely prevalent. Colombia is a country that experienced a brutal 50-years long civil war as well as ruthless drug cartels. The long escalation of violence has caused millions of Colombian people to suffer from extreme poverty. The situation in Colombia has forced over 7 million people to leave their homes. Most of them now live in slums. Such a situation is the most difficult for women, who are also victims of violence and stigmatization resulting from a characteristic of Latin America machismo culture.

Interview with Producer Kulczyk Foundation

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

Colombia is a country that experienced a brutal 50-years long civil war. When I went there for the first time, I met a lot of Colombian women who were in a very bad situation - they lived in slums, had no jobs, were abused. But they didn't want to give up. They were full of energy and responsibility for their families. Then I decided to make this film.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

Do you believe there is always hope? Do you want to see the real face of Colombia? Do you want to feel proud of being a woman? Then you ought to watch this documentary.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

I think that the most general theme in my film is that we should never give up. Love, confidence, friendship, responsibility are what really matters for Colombian women and what gives them strength to change their reality.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

I met a lot of interesting women in Colombia who could be the main characters in this film. The most difficult was to choose just a few of them whose stories linked together could give a portrait of the Colombian woman.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

The most common feedback has been that the viewers didn't expect that Colombian women were so extremely discriminated. Colombia for a long time has been associated with civil war, ruthless drug cartels, and machismo. This documentary shows the feminine point of view on this rough reality.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

Rather no...

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

More people aware of the reality of Colombian women.

Interview: April 2019

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

Born as a Girl

Length: 1:00:58

Director: Marek Kłosowicz

Producer: Kulczyk Foundation, TVN

Writer: Marek Kłosowicz

Key cast: Dominika Kulczyk (Host)

Facebook: Kulczyk Foundation

Instagram: @kulczykfoundation

Hashtags used: #Hispanic, #women

Other: IMDb