PAN – A film by Alex de las Heras

“PAN” is a series of documentary essays and an invitation to embark on a journey through time, from 1647 to 2023. Set in the Andean region, particularly in Colombia, this research project brings together a diverse group of international conspirators who contribute from their experiences and perspectives, through words, gestures, and actions.

Consisting of a total of five chapters set in different territories and site-specific locations, the essays inquire into various conceptions and imaginaries of future time held by the participants, the notion of presentism, and the exploration of narratives of memory. It also explores the re-signification of colonial pasts and the deconstruction of the colonial subject from the perspective of futures.

The title “PAN” serves as a narrative play, encapsulating three significant moments. Firstly, it represents the impactful social explosion that unfolded from November 21, 2019, in Colombia (known as 21N), a “Pandemonium” of “devils” taking to the streets and influencing political and social affairs. Secondly, it symbolizes the sudden “Pandemic” that led to the confinement of populations, the cessation of social, cultural, and ritual activities, and the paradigm shift experienced during the years 2020 and 2021. Lastly, it symbolizes the “Panacea,” a moment of reflection and collective creation where multiple futures, new scenarios, imaginaries, desires, hopes, and questions are generated.

“PAN” is an invitation to hopefully feel devilishly enthusiastic, and one of the products of the doctoral thesis ‘Futures in the Present Continuous’ by Alex de las Heras (PhD in Human and Social Sciences from the National University of Colombia). Therefore, PAN is also a shared, collaborative research created by many, all of them conspirators.