Bio

Jorge Manzano was born in Santiago de Chile in 1968 and immigrated with his family to Canada following the military coup of 1973. In 1988 he began post-secondary studies at the University of Toronto, where he graduated with an Honours B.A. in Political Science and Cinema Studies. While a student, he realized his passion for filmmaking and began to explore his identity as a person of colour in Canadian society. In 1994, Jorge formed Nepantla Films. Nepantla is a Nahuatl word that describes the reality of living between various worlds and identities. He is a producer and director, known for Johnny Greyeyes (2000), City of Dreams (1995) and Being Brave (2021).   

Works

City of Dreams

  • 1995
  • Jorge Manzano, Marcel Commanda

“City of Dreams” is the story of Marcel “Bambi” Commanda, an Ojibway man from Rama First Nation. Marcel sits in a prison cell, reciting a passage from his life. The film touches on his marginalization and displacement in the urban environment, the loss of culture, language and traditions, and his attempt to regain what he has lost. A poet, performer, drummer and emerging film and video maker, Marcel passed away in 1994 just after filming was finished.

City of Dreams