Caribe Atómico 2024 – 2nd Edition

The second edition of Caribe Atómico Film Festival took place from December 1 to 8, 2024, traveling across the city of Caracas to celebrate cinema with short films from Venezuela, the Caribbean and Latin America. 

This year the Festival arrived with 14 events that crossed the capital from east to west: 2 guided walks, 6 film screenings, 5 educational workshops and 1 talk.

Thanks to our sponsors for supporting us and making the 2024 program possible: Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Plus Ultra, Ovejita, British Council, Yummy Rides, Pastelería Danubio, and to our partners: Uniendo Voluntades, Universidad Monteávila, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Escuela de Teatro Musical de Petare, El Marchante, El Banco del Libro, Moleskine Foundation, Abra Caracas Galería, La Mega Super Estación, La Casa de Todos, Ciudad Laboratorio.

Submissions were received from February to September 2024, with a total of 118 short films. 

From these, the programmers made a selection of 18 short films representing 13 countries (Puerto Rico, Brazil, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Canada, United States, Spain, the Netherlands and Venezuela), distributed across 3 sections:

1. From this side: showcasing the national talent that keeps working in the country. 
2. From that side: giving space to Venezuelan filmmakers who emigrated and keep telling our stories from abroad.
3. From the other side: building a bridge between us and all the sister countries that make up this beautiful continent. 

Sunday, December 1

The Festival began by walking through iconic places in Caracas. Through streets full of people, noise and movement, a group set out into the capital with curious eyes to enjoy the city.

The meeting point was a bakery in Chacaíto, where we enjoyed some cachitos with a group of all ages: from a couple of photographers to birdwatchers and a family looking to spend quality time together. The Festival was inaugurated by connecting with the city, its streets and its culture.

Starting at 9:00 a.m. the walk went through Chacaíto, Sabana Grande until reaching Plaza Venezuela, and then into Parque Los Caobos, where participants talked about their curiosities about the city. Next came a stop at the wonderful Teresa Carreño, with a delicious chicha at Golfeados San Jacinto. Then on to the historic center in La Candelaria, with a visit to Plaza Bolívar, surrounded by the historic streets of Caracas, ending with a lunch of pabellón criollo at a friendly tasca.

The walk ended with a visit to the National Pantheon, whose open doors let us enjoy the changing of the Guard of Honor that watches over the remains of Simón Bolívar. 

The ride home was courtesy of Yummy Rides, with a 30% discount for all participants. This experience shows Venezuelans’ need to explore their streets on foot, notice every corner and monument, and stop to admire who we are and what we have built.

The Festival transformed the community of La Palomera into a cinema for the whole family, setting up a screen in the middle of the neighborhood’s stairs.

In partnership with the Embassy of Switzerland, we held a screening in front of La Casa de Todos, of 6 Swiss short films for children. From 5:00 p.m., what stood out was the curiosity and innocence of the children, drawn in by the lights and soundtracks of the films we showed them.

The selection of short films was curated by Valeria Weerasinghe, an Italian illustrator and animation director, who used these films to show families international animations that are engaging and exciting for all audiences.

After enjoying the films, the Swiss Ambassador Gilles Roduit offered a few words of thanks and encouragement, followed by a snack courtesy of Pastelería Danubio and the Embassy of Switzerland.

La Casa de Todos welcomed us thanks to our partnership with Cheo Carvajal and community members who supported the activity.

Monday, December 2

The School of Social Communication at Universidad Central de Venezuela hosted the first Short Film Distribution Workshop of the 2nd edition of Caribe Atómico. Students from the Audiovisual Production class learned about putting together a press kit, strategies for distribution, costs and timing to promote their short films at festivals.

At Banco del Libro, a group of creatives received tools to learn how to animate illustrations and make GIFs. 

Guided by Valeria Weerasinghe, and using a layout sheet given to each participant, they designed frame-by-frame loops and then learned how to animate them.

From people just entering the world of illustration and design to those with a career in graphic design, everyone gathered to gain new, practical tools to create their own animations.

The world of imagination and creativity has no limits, so we decided to put it to the test and use simple tools that would encourage designers’ creative work.

Tuesday, December 3

Over four days we taught 18 children from the community of San Blas how to make animated films using the stop motion technique. Together with Uniendo Voluntades and under the guidance of Valeria Weerasinghe, we began by organizing the children into teams and building 5 stories that would come to life over the following days.

Little by little, the children’s creativity turned into the design of concrete stories with characters, sounds made by themselves, and animation. To make them, each child received support materials and guides. Each guide included the steps to follow and spaces to draw, which they used to write their stories, design the storyboard and illustrate their characters.

Each group received different materials such as modeling clay, scissors, colored cardstock, markers and glue sticks: the rest depended on their creativity. They made the backgrounds for their stories, the characters and the surrounding elements, creating their own sets. 

From paper to reality, the kids from San Blas completed their animation projects. We gave each group tablets to work with and, using an app that made the process easier for the children, they put their stop motion learning into practice. 

Through trial and error, teamwork and several attempts, each group successfully recorded its story and was happy with the results.

During the workshop each child received a pencil case with school supplies for their studies.

On the last day, the young directors of these films sat down to enjoy the results of their animations. First, in a reflection circle, each one shared their experience, telling their classmates what they enjoyed most about the process and what made them proudest.

We watched their short films, and they were amazed at what they had been able to make with their own hands and through teamwork. They all agreed on the joy of creating their own clay characters and on what they learned from working in a group. 

At the end, each child received a T-shirt from Caribe Atómico thanks to our partner Ovejita,  and we shared a snack sponsored by Pastelería Danubio.

On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we screened a selection of Venezuelan films to reflect on the subject at Ciudad Laboratorio.

The evening was guided by Pedro Marrero Fuenmayor, an activist who fights for the comfort and inclusion of people with reduced mobility in Caracas, and by Cheo Carvajal, founding director of Ciudad Laboratorio, promoter of the city of Caracas and cultural manager.

The program included: “Hay Alguien Ahí” by Eduardo Viloria Daboín and “Sex Assistant” by Andrés González. Both Venezuelan films were selected by Pedro Marrero Fuenmayor.

These audiovisual works show how complicated life can be for people with some kind of disability, whether cognitive or physical, and the space they deserve on screen. They give us a moment to reflect on and consider broader inclusion in spaces where everyone deserves to move freely, without obstacles or prejudice.

Wednesday, December 4

The main auditorium of Universidad Monteávila hosted the second Short Film Distribution Workshop. With a curious and attentive audience, we shared knowledge and tools so that students are fully equipped to help their films take flight after shooting them.

The focus was on practical, long-lasting tools that require no investment, so that students can understand right away how the field works and bring their ideas to life efficiently and in an organized way.

On the fourth day of the Festival, the Istituto Italiano di Cultura screened a selection of Italian animated short films for the Caracas audience.

The evening was also the setting to present the short film “Malocchio” by Venezuelan director Oriana Martínez, made in Amantea during the La Guarimba film residency. Oriana won Caribe Atómico’s 2024 scholarship to travel to southern Italy and shoot her short film.

The event was hosted by Italian animator Valeria Weerasinghe, and we were honored with warm words from Andrea Baldi, Director of the Istituto.

Thursday, December 5

In partnership with the British Council , we held a sound workshop for animated films with British artist Phil Brookes.

His work has been part of award-winning films at festivals such as Cannes, BFI London and GLAS, and even the video game Fortnite.

Phil talked about how he built his career and how a music composer thinks. How a sound designer works. Why a voice actor makes so many sounds, and with which tools.

It was an opportunity to bring together, online, Venezuelan artists based in different countries to learn more about this discipline and get inspired.

From the comfort of “El Marchante”, a legendary record store in Caracas located in San Bernardino, devoted to spreading Caribbean rhythms and to preserving and selling vinyl records, we screened a selection of short films about identity, tradition and rhythm.

At the end, thanks to Yummy Rides, attendees enjoyed a 30% discount to get home safely.

Friday, December 6

Unión y Fuerza (Unity and Strength) is the name of the partner association with which we brought cinema to the community, and it describes what we experienced that Friday in Santa Cruz del Este.

We set up in the heart of the neighborhood, where an audience of all ages enjoyed one of the Festival’s competition short film programs.

Thanks to Asociación Civil Unión y Fuerza, which opened its doors to this opportunity, and to Gran Cine.

Saturday, December 7

The day began sharing the space of Escuela de Teatro Musical de Petare, located in the historic center of Petare. Sara Valero, one of the school’s founders, welcomed that day’s guests. 

The audience included students from the School, representatives of the Petare community, and directors of the short films presented.

Together with the same group from Escuela de Teatro Musical de Petare, we went for a walk under the Petare sun. The route began at the Museo de Arte Popular de Petare Bárbaro Rivas, passed by the Teatro César Rengifo, the Santuario Diocesano Dulce Nombre de Jesús and ended with golfeados on the very corner where this unique pastry was born: La Casa del Golfiado. There, owner and founder Fran Suárez told us how the golfiado came from migrant families and what it has become in the heart of Petare and the city. 

Sunday, December 8

To close the second edition of Caribe Atómico, we reflected on Afro-Venezuelan identity with Gabriel Pinto, Eileyn Ugueto and Sofía Perdomo Sanz at ABRA Galería, located in the Centro de Arte Los Galpones.

Each of them shared, from their own perspective, their experience and knowledge about forgotten roots that we need to recover.

Attendees had the chance to ask questions about racism and how we divide our culture and our city based on religious beliefs or identity stigmas in Venezuelan society.

In 2025 we will return, determined to keep crossing Caracas with Caribbean screenings, educational workshops and spaces that celebrate and reflect on our identity.

See you next year!

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