Pepe
Book Tickets
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The true-ish story of Pepe the hippo who broke free of Pablo Escobar’s private zoo, featuring deeply philosophical narration from the (multi-lingual) hippo himself. Winner, Silver Bear, Berlinale.
In one of many quixotic decisions, drug lord Pablo Escobar illegally imported a number of hippopotamuses for his private zoo in Colombia. Pepe is the descendant of these pioneer “cocaine hippos”, becoming the first African hippo to ever roam the Americas after breaking free. Alongside his story, the film explores the lives and stories of people Pepe meets – from a Colombian fisherman and his irate wife to a Namibian tour guide. Technically audacious, playfully integrating fiction and non-fiction and in various media, Pepe is quite unlike any film you’ll see this year.
Limited seats are available for patrons requiring access for wheelchairs, low vision and hearing loop. Please contact our ticketing team directly on 1300 733 733 or tickets@sff.org.au to complete your booking.Special Guest
Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias
Director
Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias is a Dominican filmmaker based in Buenos Aires. An alumnus of CalArts, his thesis work Santa Teresa premiered at FidMarseille, where it won the Prix Georges De Beauregar. His debut film Cocote was selected at Locarno Film Festival in 2017, where it won the Golden Leopard in the Signs of Life category.
- Program Strand
- Features
- Year
- 2024
- Classification
- Unclassified 15+
- Country
- Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Namibia
- Language
- In Afrikaans, German, Spanish and Mbukushu with English subtitles
- Director
- Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias
- Producer
- Tanya Valette, Pablo Lozano, Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias
- Cast
- Fareed Matjila, Shifafure Faustinus, Jhon Narváez
- Screenwriter
- Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias
- Cinematographer
- Camilo Soratti, Roman Lechapelier, Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias
- Editor
- Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias
- Premiere
- Australian Premiere
- Genre
- Africa, Off-Beat, Animals & Creatures
- Company Credits
- Festival Contact: Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias
