BIOGRAPHY (Director)

In the country that inspires the magical realism Gabriel García Márquez writes about in his novels, my life was changed forever. While on a teaching assignment in Bogotá, Colombia, living with fear became a part of my daily life. I felt a profound loss of my freedom of movement. Bombs went off around me rattling the walls of my apartment. Road trips though the countryside were ripe with danger. The many roadblocks I encountered while on weekend getaways with colleagues, I liken to playing Russian roulette. I never knew if the men donning military fatigues were the guerillas, the paramilitaries, or the Colombian army.

A world press that largely ignores this war-torn country along with the astonishing strength and dignity amidst all the turmoil of the people I met altered the course my life would take. Upon my return from Colombia, I could not forget the stories I heard and my own personal experiences of surviving everyday life. The local news footage I watched in despair of the slaughter and mayhem taking place in the countryside were ingrained in my memory forever. I felt this was a story that must be told.

marycuevas@earthlink.net