Days of the Whale (Los días de la ballena), the debut feature by Colombian writer-director Catalina Arroyave offers a vital portrait of Medellín’s urban culture. The film, which had its world premiere at the 2019 edition of SXSW, will be available through virtual cinemas across the country starting on Friday July 24, 2020. 

Set in the bustling city of Medellín, Colombia’s second-largest city, Days of the Whale follows Cristina (Laura Tobón) and Simon (David Escallón), two young graffiti artists who tag spots around where they live. Simón comes from a more working-class background and lives with his grandmother. They are part of an art collective that is the center for a group of young revolutionaries. Cristina is a college kid from an upper-middle-class family who finds herself living with her dad because her mother is a journalist who moved to Spain when threatened by the city’s criminal street gangs.

The love that unites them, and their friendship with other artists keeps Cristina from leaving the city as tensions rise when Cristina and Simon’s rebellious, restless spirit leads them to defy this same gang by painting a mural over a threatening tag at the center.

Director Catalina Arroyave brings it all together to tell a story of how the powerful strength of youthful expression and new ideas are challenged by fear and violence. With her assured and fresh debut feature, joins a vital group of young Colombian and Latin American female filmmakers changing how the country and the region are represented on the big screen.