Alonso Ruizpalacios at BAM: why ‘Trojan horses’ matter

At Bogotá Audiovisual Market (BAM), the kitchen director alonso Ruizpalacios urged filmmakers to build more “Trojan horses”: commercial-friendly projects that can live on streaming platforms while smuggling in political thought and complex artistry. His message mattered because he framed it as a practical survival tactic in an industry crowded with familiar IP.

Ruizpalacios delivered the remarks during a BAM masterclass that started about an hour late, after Colombia’s FIFA World Cup match with Switzerland went to penalties—setting a very specific mood for an opening-day crowd.

Here’s what he argued, what he revealed about “The Kitchen,” and why his “Trojan horse” idea is landing right now across film and streaming culture. For more like this, see our Streaming & TV Alerts hub: https://blasterpost.com/category/streaming-tv-alerts/.

Key Takeaways

• Ruizpalacios says filmmakers need “Trojan horses” that work inside mainstream entertainment and streaming.
• He credited Martin Scorsese’s framing of mid-century Hollywood directors “smuggling” ideas into commercial films.
• He described “The Kitchen” as challenging from financing through production to U.S. distribution.
• He even floated a TikTok-style film told in 15-second episodes as a way to reach audiences where they already are.

What did the kitchen director alonso Ruizpalacios say at BAM?

Ruizpalacios’ core pitch was blunt: “What we need are Trojan horses.” By that, he said he means the kind of work Martin Scorsese has described—filmmakers with deep artistic training operating inside the entertainment industry, “smuggl[ing] anti-establishment ideas, political thought and complex artistic content inside the framework of commercial entertainment.”

Ruizpalacios argued the strategy is newly urgent: not as a rejection of contemplative cinema, but as an expansion beyond it. He said he loves contemplative films as a refuge, but doesn’t think it’s enough to rely on them alone if the goal is to reach people at scale.

Why did he bring streaming platforms—and even TikTok—into it?

He explicitly pointed to streaming as a place where “Trojan horses” can exist, and he went a step further: Ruizpalacios said he fantasizes about making a film for TikTok someday, a movie told in 15-second episodes that gradually builds into something larger.

He didn’t claim to have the format solved—he framed it as something worth exploring. The underlying point was distribution reality: meet audiences “where they already are,” rather than treating mass attention as unreachable or unworthy.

What did Ruizpalacios reveal about how hard “The Kitchen” was to make?

Reflecting on his filmography (BAM was honoring it with a retrospective beginning with “Güeros”), Ruizpalacios called the black-and-white “The Kitchen” his “problem child,” saying it was “challenging from start to finish.”

He said financing took many years. Production was also difficult, particularly coordinating actors from different parts of the world; he described a month of rehearsals before shooting began. And he said U.S. distribution was even more challenging given the film’s immigration theme.

So what does “Trojan horse” actually look like in 2026 streaming culture?

Variety’s review of Netflix’s Spanish-language limited series “I’m Not Afraid” described it as a gut-wrenching mystery and “exhilarating coming-of-age tale” told from a 10-year-old boy’s perspective—one that unpacks social inequity and desperation alongside a central mystery. In other words: mainstream-accessible packaging with heavy thematic weight.

Meanwhile, the same attention economy Ruizpalacios wants to harness is on display elsewhere: Dwayne Johnson told Variety he went through 12 different Maui wigs for Disney’s live-action “Moana,” and said he laughed “so f---ing hard” when memes about his wig exploded online—then urged people to “just see the movie.” Big, commercial projects can dominate conversation; Ruizpalacios’ bet is that filmmakers shouldn’t surrender that space.

Ruizpalacios’ full remarks were reported by Variety. Read the primary source here: https://variety.com/2026/film/global/the-kitchen-director-alonso-ruizpalacios-bam-1236804119/. The Netflix review is here: https://variety.com/2026/tv/reviews/im-not-afraid-review-netflix-1236802502/.