Ciro Guerra (born 6 February 1981) is a Colombian film director and screenwriter. He is best known for his film Embrace of the Serpent (2015), who was the first Colombian film ever to be nominated for Best Foreign Language Filmat theAcademy Awards.He made his first filmWandering Shadowsin 2004 at the age of 23. The film was selected as Colombian submission forBest Foreign Language Filmat the78th Academy Awards, however it was not nominated. His next filmThe Wind Journeyscompeted in theUn Certain Regardsection at the2009 Cannes Film Festival and was selected as Colombian submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the82nd Academy Awards; it also was not selected. His 2015 filmEmbrace of the Serpentwas screened in theDirectors' Fortnightsection at the2015 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the C.I.C.A.E. Award. It won the Best Film award at the International Film Festivals of Odessa and Lima, where it also received a special prize by the Critics Jury. The film was among the nominees forBest Foreign Language Filmat the88th Academy Awards, being the first Colombian film ever to be nominated. In 2018, Guerra released his fourth feature film,Birds of Passage, co-directed byCristina Gallego. It was selected to open the 50th edition of theDirectors' Fortnightsection at the2018 Cannes Film Festival. His next feature film Waiting for the Barbarians will be his first in English and is starring Mark Rylance as the lead.