From the Fair to the Screen: Why Cali Is More Than Salsa?
When you think of Cali, the first things that come to mind are salsa, the Fair, and dancing. And yes, that's part of the city's DNA. But for a few years now, a buzz has been growing in the neighborhoods, cultural houses, and bars of San Antonio: an independent film movement that is giving the city a new face. It's not Hollywood, not even Bogotá. It's 'Caliwood', a term that was born almost as a joke among local filmmakers and today is a hallmark of identity for a generation that films with cell phones, borrowed cameras, and a lot of grit.
For the cultural traveler looking for something beyond the nightclubs, or for the local who already knows the Fair's script by heart, this article is an invitation to discover how independent cinema is redefining what it means to be from Cali in May 2026.
📌 Transparency
This article contains sponsored/affiliate links. We may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Origins
The 70s Collectives: The Forgotten Seed
The history of cinema in Cali doesn't start with YouTube or social media. In the 70s, while salsa played in the neighborhoods, a group of intellectuals and artists began meeting in houses in the San Antonio neighborhood and downtown to talk about film. These were the days of the Cine Club de Cali, where they screened films by Godard, Pasolini, and Latin American cinema that arrived contraband. There, figures like Carlos Mayolo and Luis Ospina were born, two directors who put Cali on the cinematic map with their critical eye and black humor.
Mayolo and Ospina, along with others like Andrés Caicedo (the city's cursed writer), created what became known as the Grupo de Cali. They had no budget, but they had an obsession: to portray the real city, the one of popular neighborhoods, the street corners, and the characters. Films like Oiga, Vea (1972) or Cali: de película (1973) are brutal documents of a city that no longer exists, but left a seed.
That seed lay dormant during the 80s and 90s, when drug trafficking and violence overshadowed everything. But it didn't die. It remained stored in university video libraries and in the memory of some old cinephiles.
The Resurgence in the 21st Century: The Digital Age
With the arrival of the internet and cheap digital cameras in the early 2000s, a new generation took over. They no longer needed 16mm reels or expensive permits. With a cell phone and a laptop, any kid from the Obrero neighborhood or Comuna 20 could tell their story. This is how collectives like La Fábrica de Cine, Cine Sin Fronteras, and Ojo de Pez began to form, organizing free workshops in public libraries and cultural centers.
The turning point was 2015, when a group of young people premiered La Tierra y la Sombra (2015) by César Augusto Acevedo, a film shot in northern Valle that won the Caméra d'Or at Cannes. Although it wasn't strictly from Cali, it showed that world-class cinema could be made from here without leaving the country. That lit the fuse.
Timeline or Historical Milestones
- 1971: Founding of the Cine Club de Cali in the San Antonio neighborhood. First art film screenings in the city.
- 1972: Premiere of Oiga, Vea by Mayolo and Ospina. First film to portray popular Cali without filters.
- 1985: Death of Andrés Caicedo. Cali cinema loses its greatest visionary, but his literary legacy inspires future filmmakers.
- 2003: Birth of the Festival de Cine de Cali (today Festival de Cine de Cali - FICCALI), which consolidates as the main showcase for local independent cinema.
- 2010: Emergence of the Cine al Barrio collective, which brings free screenings to the most remote communes from the downtown area.
- 2015: Premiere of La Tierra y la Sombra at Cannes. The term "Caliwood" goes viral on social media as a hashtag of local pride.
- 2018: Inauguration of the renovated Cinemateca La Tertulia, which becomes the heart of independent cinema in the city.
- 2022: Launch of the Caliwood TV platform, a streaming channel with 100% Cali content.
- 2025: Over 50 active collectives in the city, according to the census by the Secretary of Culture.
Key Figures or Events
The New Names Behind the Camera
If we talk about independent cinema in Cali today, we must mention Mauricio Martínez, director of El Sonido de los Mudos (2019), a film about a deaf-mute person in the Siloé neighborhood, shot with non-professional actors and a budget of 5 million pesos. The film premiered at the Teatro Jorge Isaacs and sold out the venue for two consecutive weekends. That had never happened with a local production.
There's also Laura Restrepo (not to be confused with the writer), a 27-year-old director who premiered La Sombra del Mango in 2023, a documentary about the workers of the Santa Elena market. The film was screened outdoors on Calle del Sabor, with the vendors themselves as the audience. "We don't need a big festival for people to see us," says Laura. "The street is our screening room."
And we can't forget Juan Pablo "JP" García, a YouTuber turned filmmaker who premiered Rápido y Caleño in 2024, an action comedy filmed on the hills of San Antonio with zero municipal permits. The film went viral on TikTok and today has over 2 million views on YouTube.
The Events That Paved the Way
One of the most important moments was the National Strike of 2021. During the protests, several film collectives went out to film with their cell phones. What they recorded became the documentary Cali en Llamas, which was screened at Plaza de Cayzedo on an improvised screen. That night, over 500 people watched the images while the protesters themselves commented on the film. It was political cinema in its purest form.
Another milestone was the creation of the Laboratorio de Cine Comunitario at the Biblioteca Departamental, a space where anyone can learn to edit, shoot, and produce their own short film. Since 2019, over 3,000 people have attended its free workshops. Most are young people from Comuna 13 and Comuna 20, who previously had no access to anything similar.
The Secret Temples: Independent Screening Rooms in San Antonio and Granada Not Found in Guides
San Antonio: The Bohemian Neighborhood That Breathes Cinema
In the San Antonio neighborhood, specifically at Calle 5ta # 4-60, is the Casa Cultural El Chontaduro. It's not a formal cinema, but an old house with a large patio where on Saturday nights they project films onto a white sheet. Entry is a voluntary donation (between 2,000 and 5,000 COP) and there's always someone selling empanadas and beer. Short films that later won awards at international festivals have premiered there.
A few blocks away, at Carrera 3 # 5-22, is La Tertulia, but not the main one. I mean the Sala Alterna de La Tertulia, a small space on the second floor of the building that only fits 30 people. They program thematic cycles: African cinema, silent film with live piano, or retrospectives of forgotten Cali directors. It has no fixed schedule; everything is announced on Instagram under the profile @latertuliacine.
Granada: The Neighborhood That Reinvented Itself with Cinema
The Granada neighborhood, known for its expensive restaurants, holds a secret: the Centro Cultural de Cali, at Carrera 5 # 7-15. There, the Cine Club Granada operates, a space born in 2018 as a neighborhood initiative. They screen films every Wednesday at 7:00 p.m., with free entry. The interesting part is that after the film, there's always a forum where the director (if in town) answers questions. Recently, they screened La Sombra del Mango and Laura Restrepo spent two hours discussing with the audience.
Another unmissable spot is Bar El Gato Negro, at Carrera 4 # 8-40. It's not a cinema, but every Thursday of the month it becomes one. They turn off the lights, set up a projector on the bar, and screen local short films while people drink beer. The atmosphere is relaxed, not academic at all. Perfect for meeting the filmmakers in person.
The 'Caliwood' Phenomenon: How Local Directors Use the City as a Set on Zero Budget
The City as an Infinite Set
What makes 'Caliwood' special is that there are no film sets. Directors use the real city: the hills of Comuna 20, the corridors of the Mercado de Santa Elena, the facades of the San Antonio neighborhood, the pedestrian bridges of Calle 5ta. Everything is borrowed, everything is improvised. An example: in the film Rápido y Caleño, the chase scene was filmed on Loma de la Cruz without closing the street. Real cars passed by while the actors ran. That gives it an authenticity that no big-budget production can buy.
Directors also take advantage of mass events. During the Feria de Cali, for instance, many collectives film in the middle of the crowds, without permits. "The Fair is the best set because nobody asks you anything," a local filmmaker once told me. "Everyone is watching the salsa, nobody notices the camera."
The Budget: Zero Pesos, Lots of Creativity
Most 'Caliwood' films are made with less than 10 million pesos. The actors are friends, family, or neighbors. The technical crew is reduced to one camera (sometimes a cell phone) and a lapel microphone bought downtown. The sound is mixed at someone's house. Editing is done on borrowed university computers.
But what is lacking in money is made up for in ideas. For example, for the film El Sonido de los Mudos, director Mauricio Martínez used glass bottles to simulate the sound of rain because he didn't have a professional microphone. That kind of ingenuity is the hallmark of 'Caliwood'.
Community Connection: Free Film Forums and Workshops That Are the True Cultural Pulse
The Film Forums: Where the Movie Is Just the Excuse
In Cali, cinema doesn't end when the screen goes dark. After every screening comes the forum. And it's not a boring academic forum. It's a discussion where the audience gives opinions, criticizes, asks questions. At the Cine Club de la Biblioteca Departamental (located at Carrera 5 # 20-50), forums last up to two hours. People talk about politics, the neighborhood, the reality of Cali. The film is just a trigger.
One of the most active is the Cine Foro de la Comuna 13, held every Friday at the Casa de la Cultura de Siloé. There, they screen shorts made by the young people of the neighborhood themselves. Afterwards, they discuss how to improve the stories, how to shoot better, how to tell what they live. It's community cinema at its finest.
Free Workshops: The School of 'Caliwood'
If you want to learn how to make films in Cali, you don't need to pay for a university. There are free workshops all over the city. The Laboratorio de Cine Comunitario at the Biblioteca Departamental offers courses in screenwriting, photography, editing, and sound. They are intensive one-week courses, and at the end, each participant delivers a 3-minute short film. The best ones are screened at the Festival de Cine de Cali.
Another key space is the Escuela de Cine Popular, which operates at the Casa Cultural El Chontaduro. There, every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., a different filmmaker gives a practical talk. Entry is free, you just need to bring something to share for the collective lunch.
Current Status
May 2026: A Scene in Full Swing
Today, in May 2026, 'Caliwood' is more alive than ever. According to data from the Secretary of Culture, there are over 60 active collectives in the city, from Comuna 1 to Comuna 22. The Festival de Cine de Cali (FICCALI) celebrated its 23rd edition last year with over 200 films in competition, most by local directors. The Cinemateca La Tertulia reported a 30% increase in attendance compared to 2024.
But the most interesting thing is that independent cinema is no longer a niche. In the bars of San Antonio, in the shops of Calle del Sabor, in the parks of El Peñón, people talk about local films as if they were Netflix series. "Did you see the one about the market lady? It's on YouTube," is a common phrase.
However, challenges remain. The lack of funding is chronic. Many