Sastun tells the story of American herbalist Rosita Arvigo, whose quest to explore the healing powers of plants led her to the rain forest of Belize where she befriended one of the last remaining Maya shamans, Don Elijio Panti. While learning his secrets during her apprenticeship she unearthed her lifes work: to preserve Don Elijio's ancient healing knowledge and to bridge the gap between science and traditional healer's wisdom.
Funded by the National Cancer Institute in New York, Rosita Arvigo is in a race against time, scouring the tropical rain-forests of Central America in search of cures for many deadly diseases like AIDS and Cancer, before they are wiped out by deforestation.
About The Filmmaker
Born in the US and raised in Germany, Guido Verweyen started his film career as a cameraman for German Television, documenting events like the conflict in Yugoslavia. He was then awarded two scholarships from the German Government to study at the American Film Institute. Upon graduation, Guido worked as Director of Photography on many commercials, music videos, and features, including the Academy Award™ nominated documentary The Man On Lincoln's Nose. His commercial directing efforts earned him numerous awards and eventually led to his co-founding and creating content for Studio M, a new competitor to MTV.
SELECTED SCREENINGS & AWARDS
Cine Golden Eagle Award, 2005
Audience Favorite Award & Honorable Mention – Best Film, Archaeology Channel Int'l Film & Video Festival, 2004
First Place – Forests Category, Earthvision Environmental Film Festival, Santa Cruz, CA, 2004
Best Documentary Award, Big Bear Lake International Film Festival, California, 2003
Best of Show, Platinum Aurora Award Winner, 2003
International Sasà Award, Environmental Film Festival, Italy, 2003
Telly Award, 2002