A 70+ minutes documentary film about the resistance, revival and expansion of Huni Kuin culture and spirituality trough reconnecting with the forest medicine ayahuasca.
A 4 year project with 3 immersions deep into the Amazon, in the Huni Kuin Village Novo Futuro (New Future), filming the apex of ancient cultural revival trough ceremonies, rituals, cultural practices, music and interviews of leaders (youth, ancestors, women and men) about their reality and life with medicine.
Directed by Lara Jacoski and Patrick Belem (Bem-te-vi Produções), in co-production with Marcos Vinicius Romão (Co-Organizer of the Festival Eskawatã Kayawai) and Ninawa Pai da Mata (Spiritual leader of Novo Futuro Village), with Executive Production of Oona Chaplin and Alex Moreno.
FINAL PHASE!
We are needing funds to finish the film still in 2020 and pay
the post production professionals so we can launch in 2021!
*
DONATING $150, 20% of each donation will be
redirected to the village trough APOTI NGO > you will get the
amazing cd ESKAWATA KAWAYAI recorded at 2018 edition of Eskawata
Kayawai Festival with the most amazing Huni Kuin musicians.
** DONATIONS OF $1k we offer Associate Producer
credit at our film and we will send you a special gift.
*** FOR A SPECIAL DONATION OF $3k we offer
Executive Producer credit at our film and we will send you a very
special gift.
Our breakdown:
> Graphic Design : $400
> Animation : $400
> Translation : $400
> Editing : $1400
> Secondary material editor for
youtube channel: $600
> Trainee transcription : $180
> Export : $300
> Film festival subscribing : $300
> Platform
fees, pay pal and bank fees : $339
Total $4300!
The funds will be used to edit the feature film and hire
professional for all post production and distribution, sharing the
film in film festivals and screenings all over the world. If you
would like to help in other ways rather than funds, but with your
expertise, please write to us at contato@bemteviproducoes.com.br
ABOUT THE SUBJECT
The Huni Kuin had a hard time living in their homeland, they were once forbidden to live their life, their culture and speak their own language, after many years living as white people, they have awakened to go back to their roots, rediscovering their ancestrality, remembering their culture once forbidden and censored. This film is about a region where they stood for themselves and changed their lives forever, entering a new era, the time of the indigenous right. In this new era, the Huni Kuin now live in harmony with nature and their sacred knowledge, also sharing their healing culture around the world with their knowledge, culture and spirituality from the forest, their own cultural festivals where they gather the indigenous with the non indigenous, creating a great cultural apex. We hope this film can help other indigenous land and society as a whole to go back to their roots and be in harmony with themselves and planet Earth.
THE CAUSE
The Huni Kuin, who live in the dense forests of the state of Acre, after a great history of suffering and slavery, now live in a time of great cultural boiling. From the spread of their cures, his work with the medicines of the forest, their ancestral knowledge, complex and refined crafts to a rich musical production. The film proposes to bring a clipping of this indigenous awakening, of these new times that present themselves to the Huni Kuin, of valuing their culture and their knowledge.
Amid the materialistic times of a civilization practically incapable of seeing the human soul, focused on the production and consumption of goods, it is evident the importance of returning to the roots, of learning from the oldest cultures life harmony with the planet, with forests and with the spirits. Seeking this rescue, this project originated and we are already on the second year filming in the village of Novo Futuro, on the upper Humaitá River, during the Eskawata Kayawai festival of 2017 and 2018, event that brought together more than 200 indigenous people from several villages of the same ethnic group, pajés and txanás and about ninety non-Indians. The festival is an intensive of getting to know the Huni Kuin culture, participating of healing ceremonies, learning their dances and songs, preparing their medicines, getting to know shamans and leaders, learning their culture, about nature, about life itself.
DISTRIBUITION
(1) To be exhibited the 7th edition of the Huni Kuin festival Eskawata Kayawai 2021
(2) The film will be sent to film festivals around the world to aim to raise awareness on this cause, that is not receiving the importance needed from our own country.
(3) It will be added to Netflix catalogue so it can be shared with more people.
(4) After an year of film festivals, the film will be distributed online so everyone can watch it, we will send to libraries and schools in Brazil to spread about the Huni kuin culture.
WHO ARE WE
In co-production with Ninawá Pai da Mata, spiritual leader of Novo Futuro Village, together with Vinícius Marcos Romão, co-director of APOTI and co-director of Eskawata Kayawai Festival. Bem-te-vi Produções are Patrick Belem and Lara Jacoski, a Brazilian duo of filmmakers and spiritual seekers, we have been traveling and working together the past 6 years to different cultures, making documentaries on minorities and causes, filming in India, Thailand, Morocco, Bolivia, Peru and Cambodia. All our projects are funded by ourselves or independently, with the help of supporters or partners, our last series Better Days filmed in India which focused to bring inspiring people from harsh realities, was supported via crowdfunding and Facebook with half million views each video.
THANK YOU, haux haux!
Deep gratitude for helping this project, this cause, the Huni Kuin people, to share about this powerful beautiful culture full of ancient knowledge which is bringing so much healing to all the world, a culture which are in so much need of protection in Brazil for their own generation and next generations, indigenous have been always in need of protection and recognition worldwide.
