Documentary Educational Resources - Geography / South America / Peru / All Films

Following the Thread

Thu, 28 Oct 2021 15:16:10 GMT

Following the Thread
Buy Now: $295.00

Following the Thread provides a critical view of the delicate balance Indigenous communities of fabric makers face as they struggle to maintain age-old artisanal practices in a globalized market economy.

In the Peruvian Andes, textiles are omnipresent in the lives of indigenous people; they are both eminently practical and stunningly beautiful as generations of weavers have applied their creativity to invent techniques and designs found nowhere else in the world. Textiles still form a powerful part of identity. But this identity is at risk. Indigenous people still face racism on a daily basis. And a globalized market economy that produces cheap, machine-made products destroys respect and interest in the hand-made. Infringement on the intellectual rights of native peoples only makes this worse.

The Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco (CTTC) was established by Andean weavers and their supporters to aid in the survival of Cusqueñan textile traditions and to provide support to the indigenous people who create them. This short film presents some of the communities affiliated with the Center and includes special celebrations and ceremonies, rituals with the animals (llamas and sheep), natural dying processes, weaving and knitting demonstrations, and much more.

Selected Screenings & Awards

Best Documentary Short, Berlin International Art Film Festival, 2022

Best Documentary Short, Roma Shorts Film Festival, 2022

Best Documentary Short, Miami Indie Film Awards, 2022

Best Documentary Short, San Diego Art Film Festival, 2022

Best Documentary Short, Santa Barbara Film Awards, 2022

Honorable Mention, Toronto International Women Film Festival, 2021

Semi-finalist, Berlin Shorts Award, Berlin Shorts Festival, 2022

Semi-finalist, Best Documentary Short, Dublin World Film Festival, 2022

International Manhattan Film Awards, 2022

Toronto Indie Shorts, 2022

8 & HalFilm Awards, 2022

Amsterdam Short Film Festival, 2021

Philadelphia Independent Film Festival, 2021

North Dakota Human Rights Film Festival and Summit, 2021

Tokyo Liftoff Festival, 2021

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The Last Bonesetter

Fri, 16 Nov 2018 14:21:00 GMT

The Last Bonesetter
Buy Now: $295.00

In some remote areas of the Peruvian Andes, such as the highland hamlet of Chugurpampa, traditional healers have all but disappeared. This is due largely to an unstable subsistence economy brought on by climate change, forcing frequent trips and even permanent outmigration to the coast, with the result that young people are not able to devote the time to learn the healing arts. Yet, due to the rigors of peasant life, there is still a high demand for the musculoskeletal healing tradition of bonesetting.

The Last Bonesetter: An Encounter with Don Felipe traces the career of one of the last "hueseros, " or bonesetters, in the area - 80-year-old Don Felipe. Medical anthropologist Kathryn Oths has long been concerned with the survival of indigenous healing. She first got to know and work with Don Felipe in the 1980s when she carried out 18 months of fieldwork in Chugurpampa. At that time, dozens of healers offered their services to the sick and injured. While she kept up with Don Felipe in the intervening years, she was stunned to discover upon her return 25 years later that he was the sole provider of traditional health care for the large hamlet. Besides being a well-known bonesetter and herbalist, over time he also took on the roles of midwife and a curer of illnesses that are unique to the Andes such as susto (soul loss from fright). While there is a modern medical health post in the hamlet where he lives, it is seldom staffed by doctors and has few medicines to prescribe, Don Felipe is the only reliable source of health care who people trust for miles around.

Hoping to demonstrate the value of bonesetting and inspire younger generations to continue his legacy of traditional healing, Oths and her research team facilitated a conference at a regional hospital to showcase Don Felipe’s techniques and prowess on local patients for academics, doctors, and healers from around Peru. The ethnographic portrait of Don Felipe, set against a backdrop of breathtaking mountain landscapes, embeds him in his local culture and the everyday routines of life. This is a story of the mission to save the knowledge of one of the last remaining healers of his kind in the northern Peruvian Andes before it’s too late, including current efforts to find him an apprentice.

Also included on the DVD

Así Sobrevivimos (How We Survive): Getting By in a Changing Climate (7 min, 2018)

In Chugurpampa, high in the northern Peruvian Andes, a changing climate is putting pressure on a peasant agricultural community already living close to the margins. While the highlanders have historically subsisted on what they raise—which includes a wide array of vegetables, grains, tubers, and livestock—in recent years, disease, drought, and hail have destroyed harvests. Many families, unable to cope with these calamities, have abandoned their lands for opportunities on the coast. Whereas 25 years ago traditional healers were abundant, few now enter healing roles as a result of the instability. The only remaining traditional provider is Don Felipe Llaro, an 80-year-old bonesetter and herbalist. The future of an ancient medical tradition is in peril.

Selected Screenings and Awards

Honorable Mention, Jury for Music, Archaeology Channel International Film Festival, 2020

Ethnografilm Festival, France, 2016

Society for Visual Anthropology Film Festival (AAA), 2016

First Medical Anthropology Symposium in Peru, 2016

Society for Applied Anthropology, Vancouver, BC, CA, 2016

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Entretejido

Fri, 16 Nov 2018 09:02:00 GMT

Entretejido
Buy Now: $295.00

Peruvian alpaca wool has held an important place in the rich textile traditions of Andean highland communities for generations. Among today's cosmopolitan elite, the wool has attained the status of luxury item, enhanced by its manufacture at the hands of indigenous artisans and herders. From remote villages to the capital's fashion runways, the wool bridges Peru's rural, indigenous poor and the urban and global fashion world. This supply chain has become a site of development efforts to alleviate poverty and foster social inclusion within Peru’s high-fashion worlds.

Entretejido is an observational-ethnographic film that weaves together the different sites and communities involved in making alpaca wool fashions. Varying representations of indigeneity emerge out of these encounters, which both challenge and reproduce historically-rooted racism.

The film offers an immersive experience of the textures that constitute this supply chain from animal to runway. More than just a sensory experience, however, viewers are confronted with the ways in which everyday items such as clothing are entangled in the racial politics and contested histories of the nation.

SELECTED SCREENINGS & AWARDS

Golden Remi Award, Best Culture and Ethnicity Short Documentary, Houston International Film Festival, 2017

Honorable Mention – Best Graduate Student Film, Society for Visual Anthropology Film Festival, 2016

Taiwan International Ethnographic Film Festival, 2017

La Paz International Film Festival, La Paz, Bolivia, 2017

Ethnografilm Festival, Paris, 2017

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In the Footsteps of Taytacha

Wed, 29 Aug 2018 12:45:00 GMT

In the Footsteps of Taytacha
Buy Now: $295.00

In the Footsteps of Taytacha follows a group of Quechua-speaking musicians and dancers as they leave their remote villages high in the Andes Mountains of Peru and join thousands of other highlanders on the annual religious pilgrimage to the sacred peaks of Qoyllur-Rití. Quollur-Rití, the largest and most important religious ritual in the southern Andes, occurs only five days out of the year and involves walking both day and night in terrain over 4400 meters in altitude.

From the point-of-view of the villagers, the festival is an elaborate ritual that retraces the escape-route of an Andean god who fled from the Catholic priests during the conquest and now lives up in the snowpeaks. For the church, however, the site of Qoyllur-Rití is important because a Christ-child appeared there in 1780. Throughout the festival, the villagers explain what the ritual means to them, both personally and collectively. By combining interviews with myths and narration, the film introduces a general audience to an image of Andean highlanders and how they position themselves in a predominantly Catholic world.

SELECTED SCREENINGS & AWARDS

31st Annual Robert Flaherty Film Seminar

Chicago International Film Festival, Silver Plaque, Documentaries

Festival dei Popoli, Florence, Italy

Banff Festival of Mountain Films, Alberta, Canada

American Film Festival Finalist

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Mi Chacra

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 14:49:00 GMT

Mi Chacra
Buy Now: $320.00

The film tells the story of a young indigenous Peruvian man who has lived his entire life, but for a few brief months, in a small farming village in the mountains above the Sacred Valley. Like everyone in his community, he has been raised as a farmer. And like many, he has been instilled with the belief that life in the city would be better than the life he leads.

When Feliciano was young, his father would tell him, "You are not going to be like me. You will go to the city, you will study, and you will become something more." When Feliciano was sixteen, his father sent him to the city, where he worked and studied. Shortly after leaving his village, Feliciano's mother came to him to tell him his father was sick. Five days later, his father died. Being the eldest son, Feliciano was forced to leave his school and return to his village to work his father's fields and care for his younger siblings.

"Luck did not accompany me, and I lost my education." The loss has stuck with Feliciano as he has grown and made a life for himself in his village. Now he has a young son of his own, and his desire is the same as his father's. He will see his son study in the city, and become something more than he has become.

Framed by the seasons, the film chronicles a year in the young man's life, from planting to the harvest, and through a season of work as a porter on the Inca Trail. We see the processes, passed from father to son for generations, of planting crops, tending to them, and harvesting. We witness the transformation of the spectacular landscape from the browns and yellows of the dry season to the vivid greens of the rainy season and the harvest. And we witness the back-breaking work of the porters as they make their way through the mountains on the trail to Machu Picchu. We learn of Feliciano's driving desire, and witness a year in its pursuit.

Interwoven with Feliciano's story is the complex history of his people. In his often poetic native language of Quechua, Feliciano recounts the history of the Incas, the conquest by the Spanish, and the years of the haciendas.

The film paints a vivid picture of this man's life, of the conflict between his love of the land and the work he has learned from his father, and the desire to see his son living what he sees as a better life in the city.

“Stunning expansive mountainous scenery with an intimate human focus... This is independent film making at its best; taking us far away...uncovering the diversity in the world that reveals what we all have in common.”
— Stewart Nusbaumer, The Huffington Post

“...Burlage paints a vivid portrait of the complexities facing the future of rural communities throughout Peru.”
— Starz Denver Film Festival

“Beautifully told... The filmmaker has a deep understanding of his subject, and (the film) puts mountain life under a microscope.”
— Eric Valli, Jury member, Banff Mountain Film Festival

“No stereotypes, just life, beautiful and cruel at the same time. I love the honesty of Mi Chacra and was touched by the patient and beautiful approach to this Peruvian reality.”
— Roberto Forns-Broggi, Metro State College of Denver

SELECTED SCREENINGS & AWARDS

Special Heart of Slavonia Award, 9th International Film Festival - The Heart of Slavonia, Croatia, 2012

Grand Prize, Inkafest Film Festival, Huraz Peru, 2011

Grand Prize, Banff Mountain Film Festival, 2010

Honorable Mention, Animation and Effects, The Archaeology Channel Int'l Film and Video Festival, 2012

Honorable Mention, SVA Film & Media Festival, 2011

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New Era

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 14:11:00 GMT

New Era
Buy Now: $320.00

Residents of the Huni Kuin village of São Joaquim, on the river Jordão, collaborate in making a record their daily lives on video. New Era shows methods of fishing, cutting rubber trees, making hammocks and handcrafts, and religious observance. Augustinho, village shaman and patriarch, his wife and father-in-law, remember the fetters of the rubber plantations and talk about how things have changed. The Huni Kuin practice a mixture of white people's customs and their own; we see a soccer match against a white team, accompanied by much cheering and heckling, and trip to a town upriver includes buying items with a debit card. With their land demarcated, the Hunikui can once again teach their traditions to their children, but while Brazil is celebrating "Indian's day," the Indians themselves are keenly aware of what has been changed or lost in their culture as a result of contact with whites.

Disclaimer on Naming:
Please be aware that this documentary may include outdated or potentially offensive language. Such terms are not endorsed by DER but are presented in their original context to promote awareness, education, and discussion. Learn more about DER’s efforts to use reparative language and honor the preferred names of Indigenous communities by clicking here.

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New World Monkeys

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 14:11:00 GMT

New World Monkeys
Buy Now: $320.00

This program is designed to introduce Primatology students to the range of monkeys of the Super family Ceboidea originating from Central and South America. Material on twenty -two species is included, covering all five of the families recently defined by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Some material was taped in the wild, while other species were observed in semi-free ranging and caged locations. The program begins with a brief introduction of the five families and then shows the field location in Costa Rica where some material was gathered. Morphological traits distinguishing New World from Old world forms are indicated throughout the first few segments. Short clips of marmoset and tamarin species cover a variety of forms while more in-depth segments on other species allow students access to different levels of information. In this video we are provided with a wealth of information about size, habitat, range, sexual dimorphism, diet, and communication patterns of each species. There is also footage of mother/infant interaction and adult social relations. Some maps and diagrams are included to inhance understanding of particular topics. A self-guide study sheet is included. This program is suitable for both introductory level and as a focus for discussion by more advanced students.

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Transnational Fiesta: 1992

Mon, 27 Aug 2018 08:57:00 GMT

Transnational Fiesta: 1992
Buy Now: $320.00

Until recently, it was widely assumed that Native communities throughout the Americas would be absorbed into the mainstream or otherwise disappear. But 500 years after the beginning of the Conquest, indigenous peoples are asserting their presence and identity with renewed vigor.

In 1991, Teodocio and Julia Quispe, a transmigrant couple living in Washington, returned to their homeland, Cabanaconde, an indigenous peasant community in the southern Andes of Peru, to celebrate the annual patron saint fiesta. It was the first time that this major religious celebration was sponsored by Cabaneños living outside of Peru.

Transnational Fiesta: 1992 documents this landmark celebration as well as the Quispes' multicultural and transnational experiences in Washington and Cabanaconde. Members of their extended family, including North Americans, and other migrants also participate in the Fiesta, where the complexities of cultural identity, religious syncretism, interethnic marriages, migration, and racism all converge.

The film reveals how the perpetuation and constant re-invention of village ceremonial life and identity are influenced by the migrants. It also shows how the migrants' own sense of ethnic identity is shaped both by their ongoing participation in the ceremonial life of their native community and by their experiences in the U.S.

Defying the stereotypical perception of indigenous peoples as backward, isolated, and static in time, the film shows how the Quispes are at the forefront of a global phenomenon, expanding their archipelago of migrant enclaves.

Transnational Fiesta: 1992 will generate thought and discussion in a wide variety of courses in cultural anthropology, Latin American studies, American studies, and social psychology and sociology.

Receive a discount when you purchase both Transnational Fiesta: 1992 and Transnational Fiesta: Twenty Years Later on DVD. Please contact us for more information.

SELECTED SCREENINGS & AWARDS
Award of Merit, Suffolk Film and Video Festival, New York, 1993
Bronze Apple Award, National Educational Film and Video Festival, California, 1994
Margaret Mead Film and Video Festival, New York, 1994
American Anthropological Association Film & Video Festival, Washington DC, 1993

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Transnational Fiesta: Twenty Years Later

Mon, 27 Aug 2018 08:57:00 GMT

Transnational Fiesta: Twenty Years Later
Buy Now: $320.00

Immigration is one of the most pressing issues of our day. Yet, little is known about how migrants reproduce their cultures in their host countries, how they impact their homeland, how their children relate to both worlds, and, especially, how transmigrant communities evolve over the years.

Transnational Fiesta: Twenty Years Later explores cultural change and continuity in the indigenous Andean community, Fiesta, and migrant colony first documented in our award-winning film, Transnational Fiesta: 1992. The film follows a migrant family as they travel back and forth between the U.S. and Peru over a period of three years.

The story begins in Maryland, in 2011, when we re-encounter Teodocio Quispe as he and his family prepare to travel to their hometown, Cabanaconde, to celebrate the patron saint fiesta that Teodocio sponsored two decades earlier, in 1991, when Peru was in the midst of a terrible economic and political crisis. That was the first time a migrant family sponsored the Virgin of Carmen fiesta and it transformed what used to be a local, regional event into a truly transnational one. Twenty years later, Peru is experiencing an unprecedented "economic boom" and this time it is Teodocio's son-in-law, Nilo Abril, who would be taking charge as the main sponsor. Before traveling, however, we participate in the impressive diaspora version of the fiesta in the Maryland-Washington D.C. area, which is now celebrated by a vibrant community that has undergone a tenfold increase in number.

We then travel to Cabanaconde and experience the largest, most expensive celebration of the fiesta ever carried out. The film also shows the striking changes taking place in Cabanaconde, the tensions between locals and migrants, and the abiding strength of the patron saint syncretic tradition. In 2012 and 2013, we return to Maryland to follow up with the family and capture the deep significance of the fiesta as a key manifestation of communal solidarity that unites families and communities over time, space, and across generations.

The film shows in vivid detail the remarkable persistence of Andean culture as well as the ruptures imposed by global capitalism, generational differences, and other forces of change. It also depicts the unique ways in which transnational migrants shape and are shaped by our globalized world.

"A landmark exploration of how globalization has changed our world. The best new film about migration, Latin America, and the predicament of globalization I've seen."
-- Orin Starn, Professor of Anthropology, Duke University

Receive a discount when you purchase both Transnational Fiesta: 1992 and Transnational Fiesta: Twenty Years Later on DVD. Please contact us for more information.

SELECTED SCREENINGS & AWARDS
Best Documentary - Peru, International Euro Film Festival, Spain, 2015
Award of Merit, Int'l Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Comedy, Indonesia, 2014
Gold Award, Documentary and Short Int'l Movie Award Festival, Jakarta, Indonesia, 2014
Society for Visual Anthropology Film and Media Festival, Washington D.C., 2014

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Washington/Peru We Ain't Winning!

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 12:26:00 GMT

Washington/Peru We Ain't Winning!
Buy Now: $275.00

In Washington/Peru: We Ain't Winning!, producer David Feingold and director Shari Robertson investigate the situation in Peru in the early 1990s - a case that, according to one U.S. congressman, "defies all description and solution." Internal conflict rages between the government and Shining Path communist guerillas, while the United States military attempts to eradicate coca production in the countryside.

Congressional hearings raise the question of who is winning the "War on Drugs." Accurate measurements of cocaine production are non-existent, and drug traffickers have moved crops into remote areas to avoid interference. Meanwhile, interviews with peasant farmers show that growing coca is their only viable economic option.

Shining Path guerillas provide protection to farmers while trying to gain power in urban areas through frightening acts of violence. President Fujimori depends heavily on a military police force guilty of human rights violations. Congress wonders how exactly the United States should be involved, while Andean peasants suffer persecution and extreme poverty.

Suitable for those with an interest in Latin American Studies, Drugs and Development, U.S. Foreign Policy and War and/or Conflict.

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