Abril Cine
Films
Filmmakers
Erin MacphersonJefferson Jiménez
Maria Jimena Sánchez
Laura Castillo
a film by Maria Jimena Sánchez
80’ | documentary | in post-production | 2026 | Colombia
Synopsis
In Bakatá, Bogotá’s largest shelter for the homeless, over two hundred residents navigate a daily life shaped by routine, hope, and the struggle to rebuild. Among them is Lina, 53, who begins a detox journey after decades of drug use, driven by her dream of becoming a chef.
Her path is fraught with withdrawal, communal tensions, and the anxieties of confinement. In the shelter, she meets Francy, and their budding romance becomes both refuge and challenge. When their love falters, relapse looms.
Beyond Lina’s story, the film gives voice to the shelter’s community: residents who sing, write, and perform as acts of resistance and self-affirmation. Creativity becomes a vital claim to existence, a way to assert memory, dreams, and vitality on the margins.
Severa Flor follows Lina’s struggles and contradictions as she balances care for Francy with her own recovery. When Francy suffers a severe relapse, Lina faces the painful necessity of setting boundaries while remaining a source of support.
The documentary blends an observational approach with a collective creative process, speaking with the residents rather than about them. Severa Flor becomes an intimate portrait of lives full of struggle and resilience, showing how memory, love, and creativity continue to exist even in the hardest circumstances.
director Maria Jimena Sánchez
produced by Abril Cine & Close Up
DoP Andrés Hernández
art director Pedro Mendoza
editor Santiago Parra
Trajectory
- SAPCINE – Film Producers and Projects Showcase, FICCALI 2022
- Selected for the DOCMontevideo Meetings, 2023
Supported by
- Women Creators Grant for the Development of Non-Fiction Projects, Ministry of Culture of Colombia, 2020
- Colombian Film Development Fund (FDC), 2021 – Documentary Project Development Category
- Women Creators Grant for the Production of Non-Fiction Narratives, Ministry of Culture of Colombia, 2022
- Colombian Film Development Fund (FDC), 2023 – Feature Documentary Production Category