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ABOUT ME

Screenwriter and writer.

I wanted to become a doctor, but I studied marketing and ended up in the world of advertising agencies. I worked as Creative Director for over 20 years and simultaneously as a film and television screenwriter.

I was co-writer of 'Mateo', winner of more than 10 national and international awards, including Best Original Screenplay at the Miami International Film Festival – MIFF 2014. 'Mateo' represented Colombia at the Academy Awards in 2015 and was the flagship film for the 'Breath Peace Campaign' - advocated by the United Nations in the Colombian territory during the Peace Negotiation process. I was screenwriter and Executive Producer of the children's series 'Un bosque encantado'. Screenwriter and director of the short films 'La Puerta' and 'Gringo HP', and the documentary 'El Mar del Centro'. Screenwriter of the short film 'Calixto', directed by Sergio Cabrera and featured at the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in Oslo (2017), right after the signing of the Havana Peace Agreement between the FARC-EP and the Colombian Government.

I am a published author of the novel 'La Uña Roja', published by Ápeiron Ediciones in Madrid, Spain. My collection of short texts 'Pequeñas Imágenes' was illustrated by the renowned artist Angel Loochkartt and published by Centro de Posibilidades, as well as  children´s book 'El Principito según Luciana', which had the the exceptional authorization of the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Succession (Paris, France).

My anthology of short stories 'Un Delfín de Cuatro Patas', was published by Controversia Editorial in Colombia in November 2023, and includes 'Una cabra' - winner of the 2013 National Short Story Award - and 'Afroman' - winner of the 2016 Short Story District Award IDARTES. I am also an Op-ed columnist at the digital newspaper La Nueva Prensa.

I am a faculty member of the Master´s Program in Creative Writing at the National University of Colombia and currently working on my doctoral thesis in Expressive Arts at The European Graduate School. My research project focuses on how Colombian filmmakers portray the Colombian war, the peace process, and the post-conflict period after the Peace Agreements in 2016.

Recently, I was invited to be part of the curation team for the Cartagena Film Festival - FICCI, 2024 specifically for the short film category (Other sources).

I see violence as a collective illness. And I am convinced that through film and literature, we can exorcise our demons and undergo therapy to peacefully coexist in Colombia. I suppose that by wanting to heal my country, a doctor´s soul still lives within me.

Adriana Arjona Escritora
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