In an exclusive interview with the newspaper La República, we spoke with Romulo Sulca, film director, from Ayacucho who resides in Huancayo. He told us about what the premiere of his Quechua film 'Once Upon a Time in the Andes' was like abroad and the reactions of the viewers.
On the other hand, Romulo Sulca, also expressed his opinion about the absence of Peruvian cinema at the Oscars and what are the factors that disadvantage us to have a presence in this type of international events. What do we need to be nominated?
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—What is the plot of 'Once Upon a Time in the Andes'?
—The story is basically the story of a Chilean soldier who is stranded in the war with Chile and an Andean shepherd. So one of the first obstacles they have is speech because the Chilean speaks Spanish and the shepherdess speaks Quechua, there is no way of communication, but despite this she decides to help him.
—What inspired you to create the film?
—I am from Ayacucho, but I have lived in Huancayo for more than five years. Since I arrived I have always heard stories about soldiers from the Pacific War who have been stranded here in the Mantaro Valley, what's more, here, in Chupaca, they call them: blue blood people. That reference is to the French kings who never exposed their skin to the sun; passed through the Mantaro Valley. So, I have grown up with these stories in some way, but for this film I took a story by Julio Ramón Ribeiro which is called the dying, which talks about two people who have been wounded in the war in Ecuador and Peru, who are taken to Tumbes, these two soldiers are put in a room and the doctor sees that one is dying, one of them goes translating what the other says, because both soldiers speak Quechua, so no one knows if the one who is dying is Peruvian or Ecuadorian. Then we know that the one who is dying is the Peruvian and the one who is translating is Ecuadorian.
—Did you receive any help to finish the script?
—I have participated in several laboratories, I won a scholarship from the Ibermedia program to have consultancy with Santiago Mitre, director of 'Argentina 1985' which last year was at the Oscars for best foreign film, he was my advisor, also Lisandro Alonso. So, when I showed the first version of the script to Santiago, he told me that it was very expensive, it is something that in Latin America would not be easy to finance. Then I received advice from Óscar Catacora and my producer also gave it his respective touches. In the film there was a lot of horse intervention and paying for these animals was very expensive.
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—How has foreign audiences reacted to the film 'Once Upon a Time in the Andes'?
—The film has not yet been seen in Peru, only the people who worked with us have seen it. In November it had its premiere at the Indian Film Festival in Goa, where we had a single screening. I didn't even plan to travel, but we traveled with the protagonist. For me it was the best part of making a film that cost me so much, the script process, looking for financing, etc. I think that when the day of the premiere arrived, the film started at 2.30 pm They made us enter the projection room which was large, I was prepared to see the reactions. The screening ended and everyone asked us for a photo. There was a Peruvian woman whose husband is Indian, she helped us with the translation because I don't speak Indian and I don't speak English perfectly either. There were a lot of questions for the actress and me, everyone was talking to us about the music of the film, the costumes of the film and the photo. In the case of Miami I couldn't travel, we couldn't send someone either because of the low budget.
—Do you think that national cinema is more appreciated abroad?
—In 2022 we will release a documentary film called 'Teloneras', to be honest with you, I think there is an audience that wants to see Peruvian cinema. We have had a good reception, for a documentary it was a nice experience, I think that there is a Peruvian public that wants to see Peruvian cinema.
—Why do we no longer have representation in Peru at the Oscars?
—I think there are many points, first we are the only country in Latin America that does not have a film school, unlike Argentina, Colombia, Brazil and Mexico, which do have one. The other issue is that the cinema law that was barely approved, through an emergency decree, a couple of years ago, which is just coming into effect, that is, we are orphans in many things. Without all this, having ambitions and going to the Oscars seems very excessive to me because our cinema is very poor, let's be honest with ourselves and look at our cinema, let's ask ourselves if our cinema can go abroad. Maybe here we can be someone, but you go out and no one knows you. I think that as long as we don't have a film school, a film law, state protection for cinema, we won't get to the Oscars. We are light years away.
—Do you think that not exposing our culture well affects us being represented at the Oscars?
—I think that the Oscars are not a matter of culture, but also the cinematographic language that we want to show, as filmmakers because if you see a cinema there may be beautiful photography, perhaps there may be a good script, perhaps there may be good actors, but all of that has It has to flow like cinema because if we don't have that we won't get there. Culturally, I think we are rich, but we have to transform that into an appropriate cinematographic language that can be seen as consumable. Unfortunately in Peru we are used to making anything and calling it cinema, so there is a difference between making films, trying to make films or making anything and calling it cinema, they are different things.
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—What are your expectations with 'Once Upon a Time in the Andes'?
—We are still waiting to see the issue of financing commercial distribution. For now, we have some advanced conversations with BR FILMS, to do commercial distribution. We have a tentative date for June 6 and we do not hope that people can see it and give their opinion if we are good for making films or if we are better dedicated to doing something else.
—Is there a new project you are working on?
—Now I am in the process of finalizing the first version of a script for the next fiction project, which is called 'Ayahuanco'
, it is an ambitious project, a Rot movie that begins in Europe and ends in the central mountains. On the other hand, I have a documentary project that is about an uncle of mine who disappeared in '87 and until now it was never known where his remains are. I am looking for financing to finish the financing process.
