La tragedia del silencio (literally "The Tragedy of Silence") is a Colombian silent melodrama film directed by Arturo Acevedo Vallarino and first screened on 18 July 1924 at the Faenza theatre in Bogotá.

[6] La tragedia del silencio was shot in temporary studios in the house of a priest named Moreira, which is now the location of the Jorge-Eliécer-Gaitán theatre.

[7] The chemicals used for the production of the film were purchased from Óptica Alemana,[7] a company located in Bogotá founded in 1914 by Ernesto Schmidt Mumm.

[2][10] The promotion strategy for the film played on nationalist sentiment by announcing that La tragedia del silencio was the first authentically Colombian movie.

[4][5] The first screening of La tragedia del silencio in Medellín was on 9 October 1924, and was praised by the local press as an important development for the Colombian film industry.

[2] Following this screening, Colombian industrialist Gonzalo Mejía provided financial support to Acevedo e Hijos, resulting in the release of their next film Bajo el Cielo Antioqueño in 1925.

[11] La tragedia del silencio does not address political, social, or economic topics, nor different cultural aspects such as the lifestyle of the Colombian population.

[13] The first issue of Cine Colombiano contained several images from La tragedia del silencio that could be allegories of Jesus, the Muisca myth of Bochica, or the Colombian civil wars.

[7] The Kodak Ektachrome lacked a large depth of field, producing a flat image, and required good lighting to operate effectively.

[15] The documentary takes its name from La tragedia del silencio, however it also aimed to commemorate the first sound film of Colombia, Los primeros ensayos de cine parlante nacional, directed by Acevedo in 1937.