Sins of My Father

Sins of My Father
Directed by Nicolas Entel
Written by Nicolas Entel
Pablo Farina
Release date(s) December 10, 2009 (2009-12-10) (Colombia)
Running time 94 minutes
Country Argentina
Language Spanish

Sins of My Father (Spanish: Pecados de mi padre) is a 2009 Argentine documentary film directed by Nicolas Entel. It tells the story of the notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar from the inside perspective of his son, now living in Argentina under the name Sebastián Marroquín.

Contents

Synopsis

In 1993, after Pablo Escobar is gunned down by the police, his then sixteen-year-old son Juan Pablo flees to Argentina together with his mother and sister. To avoid being identified and in fear of his life he changes his name to Sebastián Marroquín. "My life was worth $4 million ... That’s the price they put on my head", he said. After a decade of silence, he and his mother publicly speak about the life of their family member for the first time. In an attempt to end the cycle of violence and to ask for forgiveness Marroquín travels to Colombia to meet the sons of two of his father's two most prominent murder victims: presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán and Minister of Justice Rodrigo Lara Bonilla as well as the son of the former Colombian president César Gaviria. In connection to telling the story of Pablo Escobar, the film also explores the recent violent history of Colombia as a "narco-state" and the country's illegal drug trade.

Production

In 2005, after declining multiple filmmakers, Marroquín met Entel who suggested making a documentary focused on the sons of the two famous men Escobar ordered killed in addition to Marroquín's inside perspective.[1] Questioned about the usefulness of Marroquín apologizing to the sons of his father's victims for crimes he himself did not commit, Entel said the point was to promote reconciliation, "[the film] has the value of saying, 'It stops here. We are not going to inherit our parents' hatred.'"[2] Marroquín's accepted to participate in the project on two conditions: that "Pablo Escobar" was not included in the title and that his sister was not shown.[3] The film includes personal never-seen-before material of the Escobar family.[1]

Awards

Award Category Recipient(s) Result
Miami International Film Festival Grand Jury Prize: Dox Competition[4] Nicolas Entel Won
Audience Award: Dox Competition[4] Nicolas Entel Won
Havana Film Festival Best Doc Award[5] Nicolas Entel Won
Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize: World Cinema - Documentary Nicolas Entel Nominated

References

  1. ^ a b Byrnes, Brian (13 November 2009). "Sins of the Father". Newsweek. http://www.newsweek.com/2009/11/12/sins-of-the-father.html. Retrieved 7 February 2011. 
  2. ^ Otis, John (4 November 2009). "My Father, the Drug Lord: Pablo Escobar's Son". Time. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1934482,00.html. Retrieved 7 February 2011. 
  3. ^ "Q&A: Sins of My Father". Sundance Film Festival. 25 January 2010. http://www.sundance.org/festival/article/qa_sins_of_my_father/. Retrieved 6 February 2011. 
  4. ^ a b "The 27th Annual Miami International Film Festival Honors the Best Selections in World and Florida Cinema at Annual Awards Night Ceremony". Miami International Film Festival. 13 March 2010. http://www.miamifilmfestival.com/press/pr_the_27th_annual_miff_honors_the_best.aspx. Retrieved 6 February 2011. 
  5. ^ "Premios en La Habana" (in Spanish). Clarín. 13 December 2010. http://www.clarin.com/espectaculos/cine/Premios-Habana_0_389361154.html. Retrieved 7 February 2011. 

External links