Latin Films

PLAY MOVIE (please click here)Catatumbo is a subregion of Norte de Santander, on the border with Venezuela. Its jungles, mountains, and rivers shelter the unique Catatumbo Lightning, which lights the skies every night. Violence escalated in the late 1970s, when guerrilla groups like the ELN, EPL, and FARC increased armed actions with killings, kidnappings, and town takeovers. Between 1999 and 2006, paramilitary groups—the Catatumbo Bloc, the Héctor Julio Peinado Front, and the Motilona Resistance Front—left 99,074 displaced, 832 selective killings, and 599 massacre deaths. According to CNMH, over 59% of three decades of displacements occurred in that period. Child recruitment marked another wound: the Truth Commission documented 18,677 individual cases. By 2019, the National Information Network recorded 37,978 victims in Catatumbo, including 19,390 women. On January 16, 2025, clashes between FARC dissidents and the ELN in Tibú and El Tarra triggered another crisis. The UN reported 91,879 people affected, with 56,091 displaced to Cúcuta, Ocaña, and Tibú. UNICEF noted that 84,165 people were impacted, including 70,000 children and adolescents. Of them, 52,807 were displaced and 31,355 confined. Amid state neglect, coca cultivation became a survival strategy for many families, but it also exposed them to persecution, violence, and stigma. To speak of Catatumbo is to name its pain, but also the resilience of its people. Despite hardship, thousands remain standing. Sources: CNMH; UN/OCHA; UNICEF Colombia; Verdad Abierta; El País. Production Notes: This short film was created entirely using artificial intelligence tools for animation, narrative, sound, and editing, including Veo 3, Flow, Whisk, Gemini, ChatGPT, and CapCut. Credits – Short Film Title: Catatumbo: House of Thunder, Memory and Dignity Direction, Screenplay & Production: Jhonattan Sarmiento Art Direction & Animation: Generative AI (Veo 3, Flow, Whisk, Gemini, ChatGPT) Editing & Post-Production: CapCut Sound Design & Music: Generative AI, edited and mixed in CapCut