We had the good fortune of connecting with Natalia Gonzalez Garzon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Natalia, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
In life, many prejudices and labels can separate me from who I am, and cinema is a sea of possibilities that never ceases to surprise me. I pursued this artistic career because, looking forward, I promised myself what I had dreamed of since childhood. The day I leave, I want to be proud of having tried rather than regret not doing it.

In this decision I always feel that technology is the tool for creators, and artists, so as filmmaker and Journalist mom’stories anddad’s itself is a compilation of memories that we can see, smell, touch, heard and taste. Further more I find out the way I can show those memories, is with the Photography and videography, and this combination is the role of a Director wouldn’tgraphy, this is a path that I will love to develop, I enjoy this, is part of the sources to help humanity to awake the critical consciousness.
In this path, I start working as videographer and photographer in the Melrose Center of Technology, Innovation and Creativity. Here I can expand my habilities and teach others to find sources to achieve what they want in different aspects, and in my free time I have done other personal projects such as music videos “Me Cuesta” from a Colombian singer Tinto, that successfully had a lot of views on YouTube, the short films I have direct: “Juicy Ligero”,”Non-sense Delisious” and “sabroso”, and other ones I have worked as Director pf photography, Camera Operator and Camera Assistant. Film industry is changing thanks to technology. Innovation is key if you still create something new with what already exist.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am from Colombia and I born in Bogota city, but my heart is in Barranquilla, “where the life is more sabrosa”. I started with the role of journalism, where this profession encompasses different narratives and a spectrum of diverse perspectives. In this field, reality turns into fiction, creating a fusion with the audiovisual representation of an actual event, accompanied by social and cultural movements. I identify sexual comedy as an approach in which humans grapple with many insecurities reflected in their ways of being and interacting in the community. Transforming sexuality into comedy provides a space for self-discovery, emphasizing embarrassing situations in personal tragedies; this is a shared feeling in society. However, the challenge is that many people avoid or refrain from acknowledging this reality. I enjoy expressing it through cinema. This is a moment where I want to identify with cinema’s semiotics, which converges with society, and journalism adds to it as the principle of informing and entertaining the audience.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, to start, if it were the city where I come from, I would like to take you to a “patillazo,” a typical drink with watermelon and lemon from Barranquilla. After that, I would like to bring you to see the Castillo de Salgar, an ancient monument from the colonial era, with a beautiful view while enjoying some “Patacones al Ajillo” (fried green plantains with garlic and seafood on the side). Then, I’d like to take you to the Grand Malecón del Río, a place to experience cultural events from the Caribbean region, folklore music, carnival meetings with dancers, and a round of jokes about the Caribbean lifestyle and more. I live in Orlando and would take you to explore Lake Eola, City Walk, Disney Springs, and Park Avenue. If you like nature, we can go to the springs in Apopka. Also, a warm welcome at my home with friends who have been important people in my life in the city, and, of course, taking you to one of the best places to taste food from various countries called Ta Ta Tango.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I thank my family, especially my parents, Nancy Garzon and Fernando Gonzalez, and my brother, Francisco Gonzalez Garzon, for providing me with all the opportunities to educate myself, move forward, support me, and advise me in critical and joyful moments. They have given me life lessons that I still apply in difficult times. I love you. To my cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents from mom’s and dad’s sides. Thank you all for the good wishes and help. Barabara you have a space in my heart, thank you for being here for me and bring me your darling and support when I first start to follow my dreams in Chicago.

This gratitude also extends to Mario, my boyfriend, who supports me unconditionally in hard and good moments in my journey. Laura Morales, and those who have chosen to give me their affection and unconditional friendship. Without these people, I wouldn’t have achieved many of my goals and projects. Thank you, and I will always carry you in my heart, never forgetting where I come from and where I am going.

Website: nataliagonzalezgarzon.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natgongar_film?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalia-gonzalez-a2b174121/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt2HEtdR_vEc9tiqKlBUD6g

Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm13760592/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cr22

Image Credits
Bhavana Banala, Mario Rangel.

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