Turco is a salt-of-the-earth Afro-Colombian fisherman forced from his coastal home by Colombia’s ongoing civil war. Like so many others, Turco, who has only ever known the life of the sea, must now seek refuge in one of his country’s urban centers. Turco and his teenage son Yosner are transplanted to the city of Cali, where Turco desperately waits for news that he may return to his village while Yosner, a gifted and aggressive street-dancer, takes up with a local gang and is killed when violence erupts with the gang’s rivals. With no way to return to his home, the grieving Turco must bury his boy in Cali—an act that will forever tether him to this unfamiliar place.

Although deeply reverent toward the somber events it depicts, Siembra is an explosive, thrilling showcase for many of the diverse musical traditions that make Cali one of the world’s most famous cities for music. From hip-hop fused with Pacific coastal rhythms, to salsa, marimba and haunting a cappella funeral songs, the music of Cali infuses Turco’s soul, functioning as a spiritual foundation upon which to balm his sorrow and fortify his faith. – Jaie Laplante

This film is also part of  Jordan Alexander Ressler Screenwriting Competition.