The scars of the war in Colombia not only remain in the memory of those who have lived through it because they have been "actors in the conflict". The war is also tattooed on the skin of those who have been victims and witnesses of its rawness. This is the premise of "Written on the Skin: A Life Tattooed by War", a fiction film that marks a milestone in the country's university cinematography. The project, promoted by the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, seeks to bring to the big screen a story that reveals the human impact of the Colombian armed conflict, from a human point of view but with an academic approach.

The shooting of the film is scheduled for June 2025, with locations in Meta and Cundinamarca, colombian administrative divisions. The production involves the participation of students and professors from the Javeriana and Universidad Minuto de Dios (Uniminuto), in an interdisciplinary effort that combines research rigor with audiovisual creativity.

The film follows the life of Humberto Guerra, an 18-year-old young man who, after a military raid in his hometown, is forcibly recruited to fulfill his mandatory military service. However, what seemed like a temporary obligation becomes a trap with no way out: Humberto is dragged by the different actors in the conflict - army, guerrillas and paramilitaries - into a cycle of violence that marks him for life. His story is that of many young people in Colombia who, unwittingly, have been part of a system that consumes them and, at times, condemns them to oblivion.

Through Humberto's journey, the film explores the physical and emotional traces of war, symbolized in tattoos, scars and memories that persist even after the fighting has ended. The story culminates in a tragic denouement: after the signing of the Peace Accord in Colombia, Humberto is disappeared by his enemies.

A transmedia project

Beyond the feature film, "Escrito en la piel" is conceived as a transmedia project, which means that its story will expand across different formats and platforms. Derivative products include a podcast, with testimonials from former combatants, victims and experts on the armed conflict; a photographic series, documenting real scars of war victims; a comic book, presenting Humberto's story from an artistic perspective accessible to young audiences; interviews and complementary documentaries, with analysis on the figure of the "warrior" in the history of humanity.  

This transmedia approach seeks to generate a greater social and academic impact, allowing the story of Humberto and so many other victims not only to remain on the screen, but to become a reference for historical memory and reconciliation in Colombia.

Behind the project is a team of professors, researchers and filmmakers, led by Germán Ortegón Pérez, professor and director of the feature film. Ortegón explains that the idea for the film was born after years of research and interviews with citizens who experienced the conflict from different fronts. The project also incorporates the use of technology to a high degree. According to Ortegón, "we are implementing some artificial intelligence for discourse analysis and to build the story boar. It is the Javeriana's first fiction film. Here we are going to work on a concept that has not been worked on in Colombian cinematography, which is The Warrior".

This is in fact one of the most innovative aspects of the project. According to Professor Juan Carlos Torres, co-investigator of the project, the team has studied historical references ranging from the samurai in Japan and the Knights Templar in Europe, to Aztec and Greek warriors, in order to analyze how the figure of the combatant has been shaped by different societies and how it is reflected in the Colombian conflict.

Professor María Urbanczyk emphasizes that this universality is part of the producers bet: empathy is essential to understand that life can change at any moment; what seems distant today could be our own history tomorrow.

A milestone in university filmmaking

Escrito en la piel is not only an ambitious project in narrative and technological terms, but it also marks a milestone in university film production in Colombia. It is the first fiction film produced by the Universidad Javeriana, an effort that demonstrates how classrooms can be creative spaces that transcend academia.  

Andrea Rodríguez, executive producer of the project, assures that the film seeks to have an impact in both the academic and cinematographic spheres. For her, the filmmakers seek to connect with a global audience, using various platforms and media available. Hence the transmedia nature of the project.

The project has been recognized by the Javeriana's Vice-Rectory for Research, which granted it the Research-Creation Award, enabling its funding and development.

"Escrito en la piel" is a production in which the work of professors and students shows a sensitivity about the conflict and a novel approach in assuming the story of the conflict in Colombia and with aspirations of universality. The project will demonstrate that the relationship between academia, the arts and reality has new ways of developing.