To mark the eighth Colombian Film Festival, the Mayor of Medellin announced that Colombian actor John Leguizamo will be presented with the keys to the city.
Mayor Alonso Salazar Jaramillo will present Leguizamo with the keys at a ceremony on Monday July 26 at Medellin’s Intercontinental Hotel. The actor will then visit parts of the city take a ride on the city’s famous metrocable.
The following day Leguizamo will join Colombian film director Victor Gaviria and Orlando Alejandro Mora, to discuss this year’s festival theme “Performance Art.” The event will begin at 10am at the Teatro Prado del Aguila Descalza and admission is free.
The 46 year-old actor, who arrived in Medellin on Saturday described the gesture as “an incredible honour.”
Leguizamo, who is half-Puerto Rican actor, was born in Bogota and immigrated to the U.S. aged four. He is best known for his role as Tybalt in Baz Luhrman’s adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet.”
After studying at the prestigious Lee Strasberg Institute in New York, Leguizamo has since built a successful career as an actor and producer, making over sixty film and television appearances.
The actor’s breakout role was as “Benny Bronco from the Bronx” alongside Al Pacino in the 1993 crime film Carlito’s Way. He as also appeared in “Die-Hard 2” and “Moulin Rouge,” and has written and produced a number of successful broadway productions.
The eighth annual Colombian Film Festival will take place in Medellin between 23 and 27 August.
