Santiago Capacho as Gonzalo
3 Feet (2018) has been officially selected at over 40 film festivals and received 13 awards. No mean feat for a short film about a young school boy in Colombia. There is a precedence for his passion in that football is more than a game to the people in Colombia and many parts of Latin America. It has been described as akin to a religion. Just think back to the dramatic scenes that accompanied Maradona’s funeral recently, or recall the terrible incident, when the popular and much admired player Andrés Escobar was actually shot dead (supposedly by the Colombian Mafia) in retaliation for accidentally scoring an own goal, putting an end to Colombian hopes in the 1994 World Cup hosted by the USA.
School in Pamplona ready for uniform inspections
10-year old Gonzalo (Santiago Capacho) is also passionate about football. His single prize possession is his ball that he sometimes lends, reluctantly, to his friends when he has been put on detention. All the same, he cannot resist dribbling his ball precariously through the streets of his town of Pamplona in Colombia , careering down the hills on his way to school every morning, imagining dramatic goals and success on the pitch, hence the title 3 Feet! That football is merely an extension of his body!
Rector Ramón (Luis Enrique Yañez) heads his small country school. He is equally obsessed, but with the military precision of tidy uniforms and above all clean and polished shoes. For a young lad whose passion is kicking a ball, that poses a number of problems. While he dreams of football, he also tries, not always with success, to keep his shoes polished and up to scratch for his rector, terrified that his ball might be confiscated for the rest of the term!
Giselle Geney’s genuine love of children and her instinctive understanding of their trials and tribulations comes across with warmth and humour in this charming short. The cinematography is sensitive to the child’s point of view and helps to create a distinct sense of place, in this case Pamplona, which, with its colonial architecture and beautiful environs, becomes a character in the film. The film has a freshness and a spontaneity that is delightful.
Gonzalo played by Santiago Capacho
Not surprisingly, it won the prestigious Oscar-qualifying New York International Children’s Film Festival (NYICFF). In 3 Feet, Geney has used Live-Action combined with 2-D hand-designed Rotoscoped animation by Nicolás Gaurín for the dream sequences. Guarín has been developing his art in Japan and now works as associate video director for Sony Interactive Entertainment.
The producer/director Natalia Bernal has worked closely with Giselle Geney for some time and together they founded Pescadito Films. Bernal, also an anthropologist, has recently directed a short documentary, Ramón, that has just started its festival rounds, about a young boy, kickboxer, who is preparing to participate in tough competitions.
Santiago Capacho
3 Feet film boasts a very impressive crew for a film that is not only a short, but written and directed by a woman in a Latin American country that has limited funds and assistance for movie makers. 3 Feet was the first short to obtain a grant from the Colombian Film Commission. The film continues to be screened at festivals around the world and is seeking distribution. The crew range from the award-winning Sound Designer Andrés Montaña (Palme d’Or for Leidi 2014) to Director of Photography Andrés Arizmendy (known for Güepsa, Historias Cortas de Santander-2019).
Giselle Geney (centre ), Natalia Bernal ( on the right) with a colleague.
3 Feet (2018) can be viewed on digital platforms:
RTVC play a streaming platform in Colombia run by the National Radio & TV (rtvc.gov.co) / spcineplay: an educational platform in São Paulo/ Brazil / My Classroom Taiwan.
3 Feet (2018) 3 Pies.
Writer/director/producer Giselle Geney Celis
Exec Prod Natalia Bernal Castillo
DOP Andrés Arizmendy Benavides
Original Music Fran Villalba
Sound designer Andres Montaña Duret
Editor Manuel Monsalve Ramírez
Animation Nicolás Guarín León/ Camilo Martínez
Cast: -
Gonzalo Maykol Santiago Capacho Perales
Rector Ramón Luis Enrique Yañez.
Gonzalo’s mother Lorena Perales
