Simón Mesa Soto is a Colombian director, screenwriter and producer. He studied Audiovisual Communication at the University of Antioquia and later pursued a Master’s Degree at the London Film School, where his graduation short film, Leidi (2014), won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. With his next short film, Madre (2016), he was once again selected for the official competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Both short films were widely screened at festivals around the world. Amparo (2021), his first feature film, premiered at La Semaine de la Critique in Cannes, where it won the award for best actress. The film has toured more than 40 festivals around the world and has won awards in Chicago, Lima and Punta del Este, among other film festivals. Simón is currently developing Un poeta, his second feature film.

Un poeta — Óscar Restrepo’s obsession with poetry has brought him no glory. Aging and erratic, he has succumbed to the cliché of the poet in the shadows. Meeting a humble teenager and helping her cultivate her talent brings some light to his days, but bringing her closer to the world of poetry may not be the way…