"El Vaquero": Emma Rozanski’s Story of Freedom & Discovery

Three Key Takeaways

Emma Rozanski’s El Vaquero is a contemplative arthouse drama-western exploring identity, transformation, and freedom through the intimate journey of Bernicia.
The film’s creative process involved embracing independent filmmaking’s resourcefulness, turning limitations into artistic strengths with a close-knit, collaborative crew.
Rozanski hopes El Vaquero offers audiences a pause to reflect on how they live and accept differences, embodying her desire to "create and solve puzzles of humanity."

Filmmaker Emma Rozanski, an Australian-born director now based in Colombia, presents El Vaquero, a film selected for Not Film Fest.

The narrative centers on Bernicia, played by Natalia Cortés Rocha, whose encounter with a stray horse sparks a personal transformation into a cowboy persona.

The film features a talented cast including Paola Abril, Reina Sánchez, and Obeida Benavides, with an accomplished crew led by Rozanski herself as writer, director, and production designer.

El Vaquero reflects Rozanski’s MFA-honed artistry and her ongoing exploration of humanity’s inner landscapes.

Q&A Interview

What drew you to make this film? Why this story, and why now?

While making my first feature film in Sarajevo, I became obsessed with the small security kiosks that were scattered throughout the city, often abandoned. Walking in a 'paramo' national park near Bogotá, I saw one particularly striking abandoned kiosk – all alone on a hill – and it aroused in my mind the image of a woman inside, dressed like a Hollywood cowboy. I had an intense desire to follow this imaginary woman’s journey and see where it was going to take me. This is how Bernicia's story began, and she has drawn me into her life, her inner world. Through her, I discovered an unexpected journey. The film explores inner transformation, the right and freedom to be who you are and to pursue your dreams no matter how strange or insignificant they may seem to other people. The film is a contemplative arthouse drama-western, where the audience ventures forth with Bernicia's captivating encounter with a horse - and her revelation about herself and her purpose.

What surprised you most about the filmmaking process this time — creatively or logistically? Was there a moment on set or in post that completely changed how you saw the story?

There are always many surprises during the making of a film - that is the beauty of it! Perhaps my attempt at creating a visceral feeling of a physical texture through sound and image. I had one difficult creative decision to make for one scene where the sound disappeared - the editor and I had to find a way to make sure that scene wouldn’t feel missed - I think we succeeded.

Is there a moment in the film that feels the most you — something only you could have made?

I think the intimate connection of Bernicia’s inner transformation and the way the film balances silence and sound to evoke her journey is something deeply personal and unique to me.

What was the hardest creative decision you made while making this film?

The hardest was the scene with the disappearing sound. It was a risk and a challenge to trust that the absence would speak as loudly as the presence of sound. It required careful editing and a shared vision between the editor and me.

"The film explores inner transformation, the right and freedom to be who you are and to pursue your dreams no matter how strange or insignificant they may seem to other people."

What do you hope audiences take away from your film?

"I hope that the film gives the audience a beautiful pause in their lives where they have space to breathe and to think about the possibilities of the way they live their lives and the way they give space to people with differences to them."

How has this film shaped or shifted the kind of stories you want to tell next?

Every film I make is a new piece in the patchwork of my personal obsessions. After every film, I feel like I have articulated something about humanity that is necessary to contemplate.

What’s a tool, technique, or resource that really helped you during production?

Having a small but extremely enthusiastic and hands-on and collaborative crew was invaluable to our filmmaking process.

"One of the greatest strengths of independent filmmaking is to turn an obstacle into something magic - to shape restrictions into interesting elements that become the essential fabric of the film."

What does it mean to you to have your film selected for Not Film Fest?

Not Film Fest has a strong reputation for championing interesting and innovative new filmmakers, so I am extremely proud to have been selected among them.