30. Film Festival della Lessinia
Bosco Chiesanuova (Italia)
23 August - 1 September 2024

While in many Christian countries feelings of solidarity are professed every 25 December, in the traditional communities of Peru they give each other a thrashing. During the Takanakuy Festival (Quechua for "when the blood is boiling"), those with unfinished business fight bare-knuckle in the local arena, with one rule: you can't hit those already down. They have to recover their honour and reputation by the end of the year and, once free from negativity, they get up with broken noses and hug each other, to start the new year in peace. The protagonist of the short film is the contrast, in stark black and white, between the rough practices of tradition and the tender adolescent relationship between Fausto and Chaska, seen as dishonourable by the father of the younger boy. Between a complicit look and an outing, the boys soar together with the condors, traditional symbols of freedom and purification. But there's still unfinished business...

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  Vokos (Gustavo Bockos)

  Vokos is the artistic name of Gustavo Bockos, a Peruvian director, graphic designer, illustrator, and art director who lives in São Paulo, Brazil. His multidisciplinary training led him to work on advertising campaigns for international brands. He has received various awards at prestigious festivals including the Cannes Film Festival, the New York Film Festival, el Ojo de Iberoamerica, and the London Festival. He earned a special mention at the ISFF in Clermont-Ferrand for the short Takanakuy (2022).