Ciudadela

Situated high up in the Bolivian capital of La Paz, the San Pedro Prison is a bustling city within a city. It has its own church, soccer field, dental practice, shops, workshops, and carnival parades. Around 2,500 people are packed into San Pedro, but by no means are all of them prisoners: the spirited Mechita and her son keep their husband and father company - and they are not the only ones. Director Diego Mondaca received support for this film from the Jan Vrijman Fund, and he also participated in the IDFAcademy Summer School. Mondaca focuses exclusively on recording everyday goings-on in the colorful, narrow alleyways. He uses bold and counterintuitive shots from the most improbable positions and angles to record Mechita preparing the evening meal, her husband getting a false tooth, and the priest providing a daily ration of hope. There would appear to be neither bars nor guards in this prison. The people of San Pedro give all the appearance of self-sufficiency, but the outside world beyond the high prison walls is a constant temptation. Their lives could have been far more wretched than this, but there is still a glimmer of hope and the lure of freedom. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)