Lanawaru
“Lanawaru” (meaning 'grandfather caiman') is a short film, set in Puerto Caimán, where the swirling mists and treacherous waters of the Amazon are alive with mystical sprits. And dangers. When a local community member disappears, a boy faces an early memory, seeking comfort in the Indigenous traditions, prayers and guidance from his grandfather. The film highlights the sacred healing and protection rituals which are the core of the spiritual system for conservation of the territory, and through which the local and Indigenous communities maintain a balanced relationship between people and nature.
Filming took place in Puerto Caimán, La Pedrera, Amazonas, a remote village on the Rio Caquetá in the southeastern region of Colombia, where Conservation International has been working alongside the communities of AIPEA and Madroño for more than twenty years. Through our programs supported by Bezos Earth Fund, we are augmenting that work with environmental pedagogical programs, conservation of key species, along with food security and livelihood support for communities in the region.
Lanawaru is the result of a collective effort with the multi-ethnic communities Boricada and Curare in the Southeast of the Colombian Amazon. The film's creation process was carried out according to the communities' own organizational principles. Therefore, artistic and practical decisions were made collectively in "mambeaderos," dialogue sessions in Malokas where the entire community participated in the film's creation process. Lanawaru is a collective contribution to the Indigenous resistance struggle in this region.
Director: Angello Faccini
Production: Constanza Pérez Carrillo for Violeta Films
Co-production: John Martin for Conservation International
Executive producers: Conservation International, Bezos Earth Fund
Cinematography: Angello Faccini
Editing: César Jaimes, Sebastián Sedas
Sound: Camilo Martinez
Sound Design: Javier Umpierrez
Screenplay: Angello Faccini, Juan Pablo Polanco
World Sales: Square Eyes
Screening copy: Square Eyes
The IDFA Competition for Short Documentary showcases a mosaic of styles and themes, exploring everything a short documentary film can be. The selection presents films that use the form in imaginative and ambitious ways, by filmmakers at all stages of their careers.
Conservation International supports the rights of Indigenous Peoples to their lands, languages, stories, cultural traditions and spiritual practices — foundational aspects of their ancestral knowledge and heritage.
Recognition
