Meet Laura Elena Silva Roldán | Community film exhibitor and producer, cultural promoter, music composer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Laura Elena Silva Roldán and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laura Elena, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Art, all together, is one of the most powerful tool boxes for the evolution of human beings in terms of emotional education. It is a bridge to get to know oneself, the community and the spirit of the times. I have the ability to connect with others through culture and the arts, I don’t think it was something I pursued, I think it was something that found me.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a community film exhibitor and I run a non-profit in Colombia called Cine Vagabundo or the Wandering Cinema. We consider film to be a powerful tool for change so we have decided to take in our hands to exhibit great, deep films in meaningful ways and in far away from peripheral places of Colombia and Latin America. Our work successfully combines film exhibition, pedagogy, community building, psychosocial work and culture and arts promotion as means to learn about oneself and others. We get to travel to amazing place an recognize them in new, valuable lights. I have been leading this initiative for eleven years, searching for public and private, national and international funds for making it happen and connecting with many organizations around the search for justice and the defense for human rights. Nothing worth pursuing is easy. The road has been very challenging but we have always found away to continue with our process. We are still suffering some side effects from the pandemic in our organization, but we have learned to get creative in dealing with conflict. I have learned along the way that We become what we dream off, and that we are in this world to explore the depths of our souls and help others do the same, we must not scatter efforts in this direction. I want the world to know about me, as a creator who challenged others to be themselves and my business, as a space to discover the wonders of the world, the depth of life and the role of each of us in this twisted but gorgeous world .

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in very vibrant country. We are rich in landscapes. I live in Tunja, the capital of Boyacá, a mountainous region of the Andes, full of colorful towns, hot springs and places to climb, swim, walk, eat and shop, such as Tunja, Ráquira, Villa de Leyva or Zetaquira. My family is from Medellín, a cultural, warm valley which hosts one of the largest flower fetsivals in the world. It’s in the northeast of Colombia and they call it the city of eternal spring. It has beautiful weather, the people are upbeat and friendly, the food is amazing, and there are so many plans. My favorite is to go to the Parks, the Explora Park, the one of wishes, the one of lovers, among others. The caribean coast is also full of wonderful beaches, the fact that there are indigenous, afro-descendant communities and also people from all over the country living there, means there are amazing mixtures of cultural and gastronomical experiencies. San Antero, La Boquilla and Palomino are my favorite beaches.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My parents and my amazing brothers and sisters, both by blood and from the scout movement around the world. I wouldn’t have the chance to be who I am if they wouldn’t believe in my community madness.

Website: https://mipelienpaz.co/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cinevagabundo/

Linkedin: Laura Elena Silva Roldan

Twitter: cinevagabundo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauraelenasilvar

Youtube: cinevagabundo

Image Credits
Laura Silva, Francesco Tetti, Will Sánchez