Manuel Hai
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Born in the Colombian Caribbean, Manuel Hai (birth name Manuel Julián Escobar Díaz) has been acting for the last 18 years, 12 of them also directing. The son of a couple of poets and educators, he has written since childhood. He was trained as a professional dancer since childhood; a couple of years later, he was classically trained in theatre before moving to acting in TV and films. Former traceur, acrobat, physicist, and engineer, he founded SevenPhotonsFilms(7FF), pursuing to make original films. 7FF is a spin-off from Om Ki Reo Escena (Theatre production group). The movie "Meinong's Jungle" (upcoming, 2024) is based on one of Manuel's novels, of the same title. He is fluent in English and Spanish, as an actor and a writer (may that be in Cinema, TV, or Theatre). Meinong's Jungle is one of the first AI-assisted movies in Colombia, and the first portraying a globalized-migrant side of Colombians. His knowledge of physics and electronics can be tracked in some of his screenplays.