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Contents:
Feature-Length Films |
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| FEATURE-LENGTH FILMS: | ||
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AMIGOMÍO (Friendofmine) Directors: Jeanine Meerapfel, Alcides Chiesa Writers: Jeanine Meerapfel, Alcides Chiesa, Pablo Bergel Cinematography: Víctor González Music: Osvaldo Montes 1994. 115 minutes. Aspect 1.85:1. Setting: Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador Languages: Spanish; some Quechua, Aymara, German Indian content: low Availability: none
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Well, this is awkward. The first Bolivian movie I review here actually has little indigenous
content! But I'm an alphabetical kind of guy, so this is the format I'm sticking with.
After his wife disappears during the military dictatorship in Argentina, Carlos and his
curiously named son, Amigomio, flee the country, taking a bus to Bolivia. Carlos is of German origin and he is often
mistaken for a "gringo" during his travels in the more indigenous lands. They encounter
Indians, festivals, philosophical debates spoken in Aymara, and of course plenty of poverty,
which they also experience for themselves. Arriving in Quito, Ecuador, father and son settle
down and begin to blend in and find their place in the world. Freely based on the novel
Historias de Papá y Amigomío, by Pablo Bergel.
Sinopsis en español: |
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LA CHASKAÑAWI Director: Hugo, Jorge, & José Cuellar Urizar Writers: Jorge & José Cuellar Urizar Cinematography: Jorge & José Cuellar Urizar 1976. Setting: southern Bolivia Languages: Spanish Availability: none |
After his father dies, law student Adolfo (Jorge Marchand), returns to his native
village in the South of Bolivia, where he falls in love with Claudina Silvia Arévalo,
a beautiful chola girl nicknamed La Chaskañawi, which means "girl
with big eyes" in Quechua. Falling under her spell, Adolfo forgets
about his fiancee in the city, abandons his law studies, and succumbs to
alcohol. Based on the 1947 novel La Chaskañawi: Novela de costumbres
bolivianos, by Carlos Medinaceli (1899-1949). The book is shown at left.
Sinopsis en español:
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CHUQUIAGO
Director: Antonio Eguino Writers: Óscar Soria, Antonio Eguino, Walter Montenegro (4th part) Cinematography: Danielle Caillet, Antonio Eguino, Julio Lencina Music: Alberto Villalpando 1976. 87 minutes. Setting: La Paz, 1970s Languages: Spanish, Aymara Indian Content: medium Availability: none
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Chuquiago is the Aymara name for La Paz, the capital of Bolivia. The film is comprised of
four stories about people of different ages and backgrounds living in La
Paz.
The first story is about Isico (Nestor Yujra), an Aymara boy who is brought to the city by his aunt and uncle to live with, and work for, a cholla (mestiza) woman who sells coffee and api (a hot corn beverage) on the street. Isico has to start learning Spanish and the ways of the big city, but the woman is impatient. Isico drifts off, befriends another boy, and by the end of his story he has sunk further in the social order to become a "llevaré," one of the urchins who offer to carry packages for shoppers: "¡Llevaré, Senora!" ("I will carry, Ma'am") The second story is about an angry young man named Johnny (Edmundo Villarroel), who is ashamed of his Aymara family. He criticizes his father for being a bricklayer, working for someone else all his life. Johnny has dreams of moving to the U.S. to make it big. He robs an apartment to pay the fees for a migration service that promises to find him a job in Miami. But Johnny is caught and arrested. When his parents bail him out of jail, he finds that the shady migration office has been shut down by the authorities. The third and fourth stories have very little Indian content. The third is about a middle-management schmuck who neglects his family in favor of booze and prostitutes. The fourth story is about the college-age daughter of a wealthy businessman. Her parents want her to marry a boy from a decent family, but she is attracted to a politically active student agitator who believes in helping the poor. Thus, as the stories move up the social ladder we seem to be returning to the proletariat, but in the end the girl marries the boy from the nice family, and as they drive off to their honeymoon they pass Isico carrying his eternal burden. With its realistic style focused on a wide spectrum of social classes, Chuquiago became one of the most popular films in Bolivian history. There are probably many subtleties that only Bolivians will pick up on. Director Antonio Eguino was a cinematographer for Jorge Sanjines' films before making his own movies. Screenwriter Oscar Soria also worked with Sanjines.
Sinopsis en español:
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EL EMBRUJO DE MI TIERRA (The Enchantment of my Land) Director: Jorge Guerra Villalva Writer: Luis Espinal, Juan Miranda, Jorge Guerra Villalva Cinematography: Juan Miranda, Jorge Guerra Villalva Music: Los Kjarkas and others 1974. Setting: various regions of Bolivia Language: Spanish Availability: none |
The beauty and diversity of Bolivia are shown through the eyes of a French tourist played
by Marie Lestringat. The plot combines a love story and scenes of festivals in various
parts of Bolivia. The director made only one other film, the short Fuerza camba
(1974). You can see a video clip of Embrujo de mi tierra on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccZ0DnjzctE
Sinopsis en español:
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EL GRITO DE LA SELVA (The Cry of the Forest) Collective authorship by the Moxe community of Beni Cinematography: César Pérez Music: Donato Espinoza Advisors: Alejandro Noza, Nicolás Ipamo, Iván Sanjinés 2008. 95 minutes. Setting: Beni, 1990-1996 Language: Spanish Availability: no DVD yet |
A timber company comes to a Moxe village in the lowland forests of Beni, offering
to help the community and share its profits with them. Some people welcome
the company for its employment opportunities, while others are suspicious.
In time the company proves to be exploitive, attempting
to cheat and disrespect the community in many ways--stealing their chickens,
polluting their land, backing out of promises, and even raping women.
When the community tries to drive the loggers
out of their land, the conflict erupts into violence. All this happens
in the mid-nineties, as the indigenous rights movement begins to gain
ground in Bolivia. Two historical milestones are alluded to--the indigenous
march into La Paz in 1996, and the Agrarian Reform Law of the same year
that guaranteed indigenous communites ownership of their land. But as this
film shows, freedom is a constant struggle, and laws have to be vigilantly
defended against corruption. Aside from all the political activity,
El grito de la selva also shows the daily life of the Moxe
community--meetings and decision-making processes, herbal medicine,
weaving, and conflicts between men and women. Described as Bolivia's first
indigenous feature film, El grito offers one of the fullest
portrayals of an indigenous community that I have seen. Although only 95
minutes long, you feel like you have lived with the people and come to
know them. The production was coordinated by Ivan Sanjinés (son of Jorge),
but the film is really a collective project. There is no single mastermind;
the entire community contributed their knowledge and experience of the
historical events, providing an unusually rich and multi-faceted story,
of, by, and for the people.
Sinopsis en español:
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LOS HERMANOS CARTAGENA (The Cartagena Brothers) Director: Paolo Agazzi Writers: Paolo Agazzi, Oscar Soria Cinematography: César Pérez Music: Sergio Prudencio 1984. 105 minutes. Setting: Tarata and Cochabamba, 1952-1980 Language: Spanish; a few lines of Quechua Availability: DVD (no subtitles)
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This film follows the lives of two half-brothers. Juan José is the legitimate
son of landowner Don Luis, while the younger Martín is Don Luis'
illegitimate son, the offspring of his affair with Opa, a mentally-challenged
Indian women working on his hacienda. When Juan José learns of the affair, and that
Martín is his brother, he grows to hate him, and shoots the mother. But when the
Revolution of 1952 arrives, the peasants kill the father and the family is ousted from
their land, leaving Martín all alone. Years later, as a teen, Martín moves to Cochabamba
to work with his uncle and eventually gets involved in revolutionary activity. Juan José,
meanwhile, comes to be one of the leaders of
the paramilitary movement. In these opposing roles the two brothers clash and meet their
destiny. Based on the award-winning novel ¡Hijo de opa! by
Gaby Vallejo
(translated into English by Alice Weldon as Son of the Murdered Maid).
You can buy the DVD (blurry, no subtitles) from
boliviamall.com
Sinopsis en español:
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LOS IGUALITARIOS
Director: Juan Miranda Writer: Oscar Barbery Suarez Cinematography: Juan Miranda Music: Eduardo Santa Cruz 1991. Setting: Santa Cruz, 1876 Language: Spanish Availability: not available |
Based on the life of Andrés Ibáñez, leader of the Movimiento Igualitario,
a popular uprising in Santa Cruz in 1876 against the landowners who treated
their workers as slaves. The central character is Rosendo Pedraza, a
fugitive from an hacienda who decides to unite the troops. From the
director of Tinku.
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MI SOCIO (My Partner) Director: Paolo Agazzi Writers: Oscar Soria, Paolo Agazzi, Raquel Romero, Guillermo Aguirre Cinematography: Hector Rios Music: Alberto Villalpando, Gerardo Arias 1982. 78 minutes. Setting: all across Bolivia Language: Spanish Availability: DVD (no subtitles)
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Truck-driver Vito is a Colla Indian who happens to meet the orphan
Brillo, a Camba. There is much tension between these two groups, the
Colla being indigenous people in the west of Bolivia, and the Camba being
the more European people
living in the wealthier east. Vito takes on Brillo as his assistant and they
travel across Bolivia from Santa Cruz to Oruro, making deliveries, seeing the
Bolivian countryside, meeting different people, and getting into adventures.
Cynical Vito
is guarded at first, and tries to cheat Brillo, but gradually they become friends
and learn to appreciate each other. One day
Brillo runs into traffic to catch his puppy and is killed by a truck.
Why did I just give away the ending? Well, look at the cover of the DVD. The
ending is shown right there! Also, the film begins with the death of
Brillo, before backtracking to Vito and Brillo's first meeting. Is this some sort
of indigenous aesthetic? I don't know, but it must work for some people, since
the film is very highly rated on IMDB. The spirited Andean folk music and
beautiful scenery will appeal to everyone. You can order Mi Socio from
boliviamall.com
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EL REGALO DE LA PACHAMAMA (The Gift of Mother Earth) Director/writer: Toshifumi Matsushita Cinematography: Gustavo Soto Nuñez Music: Oscar Garcia, Luzmila Carpio 2008. 104 minutes. Language: Quechua Setting: Uyuni and other small villages in the Condoriri mountains Availability: not yet on DVD
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Kunturi is a 13-year-old Quechua boy who
works with his father, Sauci, at the salt lake of Uyuni, harvesting salt
which they barter for goods in other towns. While Sauci and Kunturi are
away at the salt lake, the grandparents grow quinua on their land. Once a
year Sauci loads up his llamas with salt blocks to bring to remote
villages in the mountains. This is Kunturi's first year going on the salt
caravan, and his first opportunity to see other parts of Bolivia. They
travel from village to village distributing salt, which everyone receives
gratefully and trades for squashes, watermelons, and corn. Along the way
they also receive news, collect medicinal plants, attend a Tinku Festival
in Potosi (ritual combat commemorating ancient warriors, in which blood
is spilt on the ground to honor Pachamama, mother earth). On their last
stop,
Kunturi meets a girl his age, Ulala, and falls in love. Created by first-time
Japanese filmmaker Toshifumi Matsushita, El regalo de Pachamama is a love poem to
the Bolivian countryside. Contemplative and poetic, with lush
cinematography, it may be one of the most beautiful films you will ever
see. Youtube trailer (no English subtitles): www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPPEbNmel8k
CAST:
Sinopsis en español:
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TAMBIEN LA LLUVIA (Even the Rain) Director: Icíar Bollaín Writer: Paul Laverty Cinematography: Alex Catalán Editing: Ángel Hernández Zoido Music: Alberto Iglesias 2010. 103 minutes. Apsect: 2.35:1. Setting: Cochabamba, 2000. Language: Spanish, some Quechua. Availability: not yet on DVD
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A Spanish film producer arrives in Cochabamba, Bolivia to make a movie about Christopher Columbus in
Hispaniola. He recruits Quechua actors and extras and pays them two dollars a day. One of
the men who comes to the casting tryout, Daniel (played by Carlos Aduviri), is particularly
fiesty, and the director (Gael Garcia Bernal) hires him against the wishes of the producer.
The director casts him as Hatuey, the legendary cacique who led the Tainos in revolt against
the Spanish in 1512. But as it turns out, Daniel is a rebel in real life, leading the
people of Cochabamba in a revolt when the government tries to block their access to water
following a deal with a California company to privatize Bolivia's water. Daniel's
involvement in the revolt threatens the making of the film, and also forces the filmmakers
to see their own hypocrisy in making a story about the cruelty of the Spanish explorers
while they themselves continue that legacy of exploitation. También la lluvia is
a powerful, complex film, and Daniel is the one of the most memorable and fully-realized
indigenous characters realized by a European film. Carlos Aduviri runs a film school in
La Paz. Scottish screenwriter Paul Laverty has written many scripts for Ken Loach (including
Carla's Song, set in Nicaragua during the U.S. invasion in the 1980s).
Sinopsis en español:
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TINKU: EL ENCUENTRO (Tinku: The Encounter) Director: Juan Miranda Writers: Rolando Chavarria, Miguel Bustos Plot: María Luisa Ovando Cinematography: Julio Lencinas Music: Alberto Villalpando, Charles Suarez, Ernesto Cavour, Los Payas, Los Taquipayas 1985. 97 minutes. Language: Spanish Availability: not available |
An Indian boy is orphaned when his father dies at a Tinku festival. The boy is taken in by
a priest and learns to play the charango. The priest's cousin from the U.S. visits and adopts
the boy and takes him back to the U.S. Years later, as a teenager, the boy returns to
Bolivia to rediscover his roots and find inspiration for a planned concert for charango and
orchestra. He arrives in time for the Tinku festival, and meets a girl
who shows him around, re-introducing him to the magic of his culture.
Sinopsis en español:
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ZONA SUR (Southern District) Director/writer: Juan Carlos Valdivia Cinematography: Paul de Lumen Music: Cergio Prudencio Editing: Ivan Layme 2009. 109 minutes. Setting: Zona Sur, a wealthy neighborhood of La Paz Language: Spanish, Aymara Indian Content: medium-high Availability: not yet on DVD
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This fascinating film examines the complicated relationships between a wealthy white family
and their two Aymara servants, Wilson and Marcelina. Wilson (Pascual Loayza) is separated
from his wife and seemingly estranged from his family. He is the self-effacing head butler
and chef of the household and everyone relies on him for everything. Marcelina (Viviana
Condori) is the more recalcitrant, even bossy, of the two servants, and she has recently
separated or divorced from her husband. The mother of the household, Carola, is vain,
demanding, selfish, impatient, yet so warmly played by Ninon del Castillo that
we do not quite hate her; in fact, we sympathize with her as she struggles to maintain her
hold on her spoiled teenagers and a rapidly changing society. Despite the vast gult between
the whites and their servants, the love between them is expressed both openly (on the part of
the exuberantly emotive son) and subtly (on the part of the haught Carola). The story is
conveyed almost entirely through dialogue and almost nothing happens on-camera, yet this
is no verbose, stagy, Woody-Allen style film. The camera pans langorously over the exquisitely
furnished house, examining its impeccable if chilly decor, communicating as much about the
characters and the spirit of the home as the dialogue does (kudos to art director and production
designer Joaquín Sánchez). Excellent acting by an ensemble cast and a variety of fully-fleshed
out characters soaring above stereotype make this film a marvel of originality and artistry.
Official website: zonasurfilm.com
Sinopsis en español:
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| THE FILMS OF JORGE SANJINES: | ||
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UKAMAU ¡Así Es! (And So It Is) Director: Jorge Sanjinés Writers: Jorge Sanjinés, Óscar Soria, Jesus Urzagasti Cinematography: Hugo Roncal, Genaro Sanjinés Music: Alberto Villalpando 1966. 75 minutes. B&W. Setting: Isla del Sol (an island in Lake Titicaca) Language: Aymará Availability: not available
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This is the first feature-length film by Jorge Sanjinés. Andres
Mayta (played by Vicente Verneros Salinas) is an Aymara man who finds that
his wife Sabina has been raped and killed by the mestizo merchant who does
business with Andres. Andres decides to wait one year to exact his revenge.
During this interval
we see the different lifestyles of each: Andres lives in harmony with
his community, while Ramos takes advantage of people in his transactions.
But all the while, Andres plans his revenge.
Sinopsis en español:
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YAWAR MALLKU Sangre de cóndor (Blood of the Condor) Director: Jorge Sanjinés Writers: Jorge Sanjinés, Óscar Soria Cinematography: Antonio Eguino Music: Alfredo Domínguez, Ignacio Quispe, Alberto Villalpando 1969. 85 minutes. B&W. Setting: Indian village in altiplano Languages: Quechua, Spanish Availability: none
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Ignacio Mallku (played by Marcelino Yanahuaya) is the leader of an
Indian village in the altiplano. He becomes concerned
with an epidemic of infant deaths and lack of births in the past year.
As he investigates the situation he learns that the U.S. Peace Corps is secretly
operating a sterilization program to eliminate the indigenous population
in Bolivia. At the same time, he must raise money to pay for medical fees
for his brother who was shot by soldiers. The title of the film
is both literal and metaphorical: the brothers' last name is Mallku,
and Ignacio has to buy blood for his wounded brother, since his own blood
is not compatible. On another level, Ignacio must become fierce like the
condor, and not rely on traditional prayers or blame the problem on evil
spirits, when it is the gringo invaders who have brought the epidemic upon
them. Stark and powerful, this film is intended to arouse indignation in
the viewer, and yet it is not just propaganda but an artistic
achievement as well.
Sinopsis en español:
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EL CORAJE DEL PUEBLO (The Courage of the People) Director: Jorge Sanjinés Writers: Jorge Sanjinés, Óscar Soria Cinematography: Antonio Eguino Music: Nilo Soruco 1971. 90 minutes. Setting: Siglo XX, a mining town in the state of La Paz, June 1967 Languages: Spanish, Quechua Availability: none |
A reconstruction of the government's massacre of mine workers on June 23, 1967,
known in Bolivia as "La masacre de la noche de San Juan."
The workers of Siglo XX mine were complaining because their wages had been cut
in half, and the supply stores, where they had to buy their food and anything else they
needed, had cut off all supplies for over a week, causing the miners to starve so that
they would no longer complain about their reduced wages. The miners appeal the store
manager, then take their grievances to higher management of the mining company, but they
continue to meet with denials. On the
night of San Juan, June 23, they take a break from their struggles to celebrate the
holiday, and, deep into the festivities, the nightmare begins. Soldiers and planes raid the
town, shooting everyone on the street and invading homes. The next morning
the army returns to arrest all the men who weren't killed. At the end
of the film, names and photos of the perpetrators are shown: General René Barriento
Ortuño, General Alvaredo Avando Candia, and many others.
The making of the fim:
Sinopsis en español:
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LA NACIÓN CLANDESTINA (Hidden Nation) Director/writer: Jorge Sanjinés Cinematography: César Pérez Music: Cergio Prudencio 1989. 128 minutes. Language: Aymará, Spanish Availability: none
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Sebastián Mamani (played by Reynaldo Yujra, who starred in Ajayu) is an Aymara
Indian who was was exiled
by his community and threated with death if he ever returned. After living an isolated existence
in the city for several years as a coffin maker, he decides to return to
his village to
perform an atonement ritual in which he must dance until he dies. On his way
back to his village of Willkani, he remembers all the incidents leading
up to his exile--his joining the military, his attempt to confiscate his
brother's rifle, his withholding of important information from the
village--but ultimately he prefers death over a life of loneliness.
La nacion clandestina is considered the obra cumbre of
the films produced by Jorge Sanjines and Grupo Ukamau. Vernacular music
by Chajes, Grupo Khonsata, and Banda Real Gran Poder.
Sinopsis en español:
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PARA RECIBIR EL CANTO DE LOS PÁJAROS (To Receive the Birds' Song) Director/writer: Jorge Sanjinés Cinematography: César Pérez, Raúl Rodríguez, Guillermo Ruiz Music: Cergio Prudencio 1995. 97 minutes. Language: Spanish Availability: none |
A group of young filmmakers arrive at an indigeous community to make a film about the Spanish conquerors. In their zeal to make the film, the students unwittingly reproduce the same prejudices they seek to criticize in their film. |
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LOS HIJOS DEL ÚLTIMO JARDÍN (Sons of the Last Garden) Director/writer: Jorge Sanjinés Cinematography: César Pérez Music: Milton Guzmán 2004. 98 minutes. Setting: La Paz, 2003 Language: Spanish Availability: none |
This film takes place during the turbulence of Febrero Negro, 2003, when
students protested President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada's decree to
increase taxes. Five young friends are disgusted by government corruption
and the lack of opportunites, and they decide to rob a parliament member's
house to restore money to the people. When their plan takes a wrong turn,
they must flee La Paz.
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| MEDIUM-LENGTH FILMS / MEDIOMETRAJES: | ||
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AJAYU (Soul) Director: Francisco Ormachea G. Writers: Francisco Cajias, Manuel DeLuca, Rogelio Vargas, Francisco Ormachea Cinematography: Fernando Vargas Villazon Music: Oscar Garcia 1996. 31 minutes. Setting: Lake Titicaca Language: Aymara Availability: DVD (Grupo Chaski)
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Andres (Reynaldo Yujra Quispe) and his daughter Leonora (Celia Lopez)
drown in Lake Titicaca on the Bolivian altiplano. With the help of their community,
their spirits find a path to Korimarca, the aymara heaven. Since the father is blamed
for the death of the girl, he must, according to Aymara custom, carry a heavy load to
Korimarca. Therefore the people bury him with small items that he must carry to their
loved ones. The objects will grow in size and become burdensome so that he can atone
for the death of the girl, but in the end, they are reunited in Korimarca. This short
film shows the fusion of indigenous and Catholic beliefs that comprise the religions of
Andean peoples. It was filmed on La isla del Sol with native actors, and Oscar Soria
created the soundtrack with native instruments: mocenos, tarkas, puna-quenas, pinquillos,
and, for the funeral scene, the ayarachi.
Sinopsis en español: |
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BARTOLINA SISA
Director: Demetrio Nina Writers: Demetrio Nina, Jorge Laruta 2008. 35 minutes. Setting: La Paz, 1700s Languages: Spanish Availability: none |
Docudrama depicting the life of Bartolina Sisa (played by Yomar Ferino),
an Aymara woman who together with her husband, Tupac Katari (Jorge
Cardenas), led an
indigenous uprising against the Spanish in La Paz in 1781. They held the
city in siege for 184 days. Bartolina Sisa was executed September 5, 1782.
This short film is part of a planned series of biopics on indigenous
heroes.
Sinopsis en español:
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DESTINOS DE MUJER (Women's Destinies) Collective Authorship 2010. 46 minutes.
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Sinopsis en español: Cuatro historias, cuatro realidades, cuatro mujeres indígenas que nos permiten ver en su cotidianidad la discriminación que sufren como mujeres, algo que ocurre en la actualidad en las comunidades rurales, a pesar de que en este tiempo se hable bastante sobre la equidad de género y los derechos de las mujeres: JACINTA (Conrado Gutiérrez – Judith Cumara): Una mujer indígena tsimane, que se ve obligada a ir a un hospital por complicaciones en su embarazo, junto a su esposo, sufre el rechazo de los médicos y enfermeras. ANA (Silvia Gonzáles – Selva Temo – Gumercindo Yumani): La historia de Ana y Eusebio, una pareja tacana que buscando mejorar sus ingresos se emplean como peones en una hacienda ganadera, su esposo es explotado y ella solo recibe un techo y comida por su trabajo. LUCIA (Maria Morales, Rafael Cavinas, Esteban Espejo): Una mujer aymara que migró del altiplano, es abandonada por su esposo, intenta salir adelante junto a sus hijas pero el trabajo duro de la comunidad y las leyes le tejen un destino injusto. SELVA (Susana Pomier, René Lovera): Una muchacha indígena Tacana, muy joven tiene a su bebé, y ante la incomprensión de sus padres, se enfrenta a la realidad de tener que buscar el sustento para ella y su bebé muy lejos de su comunidad.
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LLANTHUPI MUNAKUY (Amarse en las sombras) (Loving in the Shadows) Director / writer: Marcelina Cárdenas Setting: CK'ochas community in Potosí Language: Quechua Availability: not on DVD |
A young couple, Rosita (Aydeé Alvarez) and Juancito (Samuel Vedia Callamullo), must hide
their love from Rosita's disapproving parents, who have chosen another husband for her.
Finally they decide to run away together on a bicycle. They spend the night in a cave,
then realize how reckless and unprepared they have been. Juancito returns home for food
and clothes, then Rosita does the same. However, when she sneaks into her house at night,
the father suspects a burglar and attacks Rosita with a shovel. Based on the oral tradition
of the CK'ocha community of Potosi, Llanthupi Munakuy is one of the first Andean
written and directed by a woman. It is also unusual in portraying class differences among
indigenous peoples: Juancito is a farmer and lives in a rustic home, while Rosita's family
are pastors and live in a modern house.
Sinopsis en español:
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NACIÓN OCULTA (Hidden Nation) Director: Juan Carlos Martínez 2010. 30 minutes. Indian Content: High
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An exploration of the historical traditions and folkways of the Moqoit people. Info and trailer at argentina.indymedia.org/news/2010/06/737976.php
Sinopsis en español:
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QATI QATI (Susurros de muerte) (Whispers of Death) Director/writer: Reynaldo Yujra Cinematography: Cesar Pérez Music: Sol de Ande 1998. 35 min. Setting: Carabuco Language: Aymara |
Traditional tale from the Carabuco region of Lake Titicaca. A man pays
dearly for not believing in the souls and spirits present in everyday life.
Sinopsis en español:
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SIRIONÓ
Collective authorship Cinematography: César Pérez, Rubén Darío Cayaduro Producer: Ivan Sanjines 2010. 56 minutes. Setting: Siriono, provinica Marbán, Beni Languages: Spanish, Ibiato Indian Content: high Availability: no DVD
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A fictional account of the Sirionó community of Ibiato, just before the historic 1990
March for Land and Dignity to the nation’s capital. A soldier fleeing from the military
is mistakenly accepted as the teacher the community has been expecting. The soldier plays
along, attempting to teach the children, but the community objects to his arrogance and
bad temper. This warm, humourous story is one of a series of communally created films overseen by Ivan Sanjines
(son of Jorge). See also El grito de la selva above, which is also set in Beni.
Sinopsis en español: |
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SANTOS MARKA T'ULA
Director/writer/cinematographer: Demetrio Nina Music: Juan Limachi; Sol de Ande 2008. 45 minutes. Setting: La Paz, 1874-1939 Language: Spanish, Aymara Indian Content: high Availability: DVD (in Bolivia)
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Santos Marka T'ula (1879-1939), a cacique of the Qallapa community in the department of
La Paz, allied with other caciques such as Faustino LLanki, Rufino Wilka, Santos Cornejo
and Feliciano Kunturi to launch a legal battle against the government of Tomas Frias to
reclaim ancestral lands that were denied to them under the 1874 Law of Disalignment that
broke up indigenous communities. This docudrama tells of Santos' life and struggles.
Sinopsis en español:
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VENCIENDO EL MIEDO (Conquering Fear) Director/writer: Maria Morales Tarqui 2004. 55 minutes. Setting: Languages: Aymara, Spanish Indian Content: high Availability: not on DVD
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When an impoverished Aymara family migrates from the highlands to seek a better life
elsewhere, the husband abandons his wife, Manuela, and their children. Manuela moves on
with her life, becoming the leader of a woman's organization that fights for indigenous
rights.
Sinopsis en español: |
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WARMIS, EPUNAS, MUJERES DE PALABRA (Women of Word) Director/writers: Virginia Ribota, Maria Eugenia Puma 2008. 29 minutes. Setting: Santa Rosa Availability: not on DVD
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Two women, one Tacana and the other Quechua, meet at a market and discuss their problems.
Sinopsis en español:
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| SHORT FILMS / CORTOMETRAJES: |
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¿Ahora de quien es la verdad? (Alfredo Copa, Constancia Chileno, 2004, 35 min) Este video presenta una reflexión histórica desde la perspectiva de los pueblos indígenas originarios, rememorando diferentes capítulos desde la vida previa a la conquista española, la explotación y exterminio en la colonia y la república y la lucha de los pueblos indígenas originarios hasta el día de hoy, cuando a partir de las propias exigencias indígenas se ha hecho realidad la necesidad de convocar a una Asamblea Constituyente. El video responde preguntas como: ¿Qué es una Asamblea Constituyente?, ¿Qué peligros y posibilidades representa?, ¿Qué sociedad queremos para Bolivia?, etc.
Angeles de la tierra (Patricio Luna, 1997, 35 min.)
Los antiguos (Boris Bani, Esteban Espejo, 2004, 25 min.)
Ajayu Irpaxata (Cristóbal Condoreno)
¡Aysa! (Cave-In!) (Jorge Sanjines, 1965, 20 min. Quechua and Spanish)
El cazador (Nicolás Ipamo, 1999, 17 min.)
Chayaw Anata (Longing for Home) (Jose Miranda, 1994, 6 min.)
Circulo de Oscar Cerruto (Alberto Villalpando, 35 min.)
Cocanchej sutimpy (Humberto Claros & Albino Pinto, 2005, 45 min.)
Desempolvando nuestra historia (Alfredo Copa, 1999, 26 min.)
Destinos de tierra (Eduardo López, 1991, 30 min.)
Diablo nunca duerme (The Devil Never Sleeps) (Humbarto Paz, 1999, 25 min.) Ecunaha: Nuestra Historia Cavineña (25 min.)
El embarazo (Pregnancy) (Ivonne Muñoz Cañedo, 1991, 10 min.)
En busca del guerrero (In search of the Warrior) (Regina Monasterios)
Espiritu de la Selva (Faustino Pena, 1999, 25 min.)
Itziki Tshiij (Tigre Fuego) (collective authorship: Los niños de
Covendo, 2007, 8 min.)
Jach’atatala Jach’amammalan Thakepu (El Camino de las Almas) (1989, 30 min.)
Juku (Mauricio Quiroga Russo, 2011, 18 min.)
Magic and Catholicism (Hubert Smith, 1974, 34 min)
Markasan Jucha T'aqawipa (La Justicia de Nuestros Pueblos) (Sonia Chiri, 2006,
42 min.)
Martin de las Crujias (Eduardo Lopez, 1992, 27 min.)
Misterio de la palerma (Eladio Uraeza, 2000, 15 min.)
Nuestra Palabra: La Historia de San Francisco de Moxos (Julia Mosúa, 1999, 22 min.)
Oro Maldito (Cursed Gold) (Marcelino Pinto, 1999, 35 min.)
Qamasan Warmi (Woman of Courage) (Jose Miranda, 1993, 42 min.)
Quereimba: En Busca del Guerrero (Regina Monasterios, 1999, 25 min.)
Qulqi Chaliku (El chaleco de plata) (Vest Made of Money) (Patricio Luna, 1999, 25 min.)
Renacer: Historia de un Movima (Jose Ignacio Yalahuma, 45 min.)
Siw sawinaka amuyt'ayiri (Boris Balderrama Villazón, 1992, 14 min.)
El sueño de Waylla Wisa: profecía de la conquista (Cristóbal Condoreno, 1991, 28 min.)
Supaya: El diablo bueno (Inocencio Ramos, 1996, 11 min.)
Toba (Charles Ovando, 2010, 10 min.)
Trilogía (Luis Mérida, 1992, 30 min.)
Tsimane: Äyedyé Yedyé Jác Si Tsun (Tsimane: El grito de nuestra tierra)
(docudrama, 29 min.)
Tunupa (Alberto Villalpando, 30 min.)
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| SILENT FILMS: | |
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CORAZÓN AYMARA (Aymara Heart) Director: Pedro Sambarino 1925.
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Based on a play by Angel Salas (who also wrote the screenplay). Lurpila, and Aymara girl,
must prove her innocence when her stepmother accuses her of being unfaithful to her
husband. The film denounced the feudal enslavement of Indians by authorities and the
church.
Ambientada en una hacienda, con el fondo de los grandes nevados andinos, la trama se centra en la tragedia de Lurpila, muchacha nativa cuya relación matrimonial con su esposo Khana Uru es ensombrecida por sospechas de infidelidad, debidas al insistente acoso a la que es sometida por el mayordomo de la propiedad. La situación es aprovechada por la madrastra de Lurpila para urdir una venganza contra ella, propagando una fantasiosa intriga, que acaba por desatar la cólera del padre y el rechazo de toda la comunidad. Finalmente, con todos los suyos en contra, Lurpila es sometida a juicio, según las leyes ancestrales de los aymaras, recibiendo una condena ejemplarizadora que se ejecuta a pesar de los alegatos de inocencia de la víctima.
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GLORIA DE LA RAZA (Glory of the Race) Directors: Luis Castillo, Arturo Posnasky 1926 |
Miniature models and optical effects dramatize the extinction of Tiwanako culture.
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HACIA LA GLORIA (Towards Glory) Director: José María Velasco Maidana. 1931.
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A white baby is abandoned by a river and raised by an Indian family. He late becomes a
pilot. Based on the life of an actual Bolivian pilot, Rafael Pabon. I'm not sure how much
Indian content there is.
Una hermosa doncella da un mal paso y producto de ello nace un niño que es abandonado en
el rio Choqueyapu y posteriormente es recogido por una pareja de campesinos que le
enseñan los valores y tradiciones de la comunidad. El niño crece y decide emigrar a la
ciudad donde conoce a una muchacha de la que se enamora y al no ser correspondido decide
incorporarse a la Fuerza Aérea, para convertirse luego en todo un héroe.
Abatido por el enemigo el protagonista es internado en un hospital, siendo atendido por
una religiosa que resulta ser la madre que años antes le había abandonado, para colmo de
males la muchacha de la que estaba enamorado resultó ser su hermana. Tal incestuosa
relación termina cuando el piloto héroe, hijo del ministro se marcha con rumbo conocido.
Mario Camacho, actor debutante en el largometraje Wara Wara trabajó simultáneamente en
diversas tareas técnicas y en un rol secundario, junto a José Jiménez y Raúl Durán Crespo
intentan el rodaje de un largometraje de ficción, con el título "El Hijo de Choqueyapu".
A consecuencia del inminente conflicto bélico con la hermana república del Paraguay el
film se transforma finalmente en "Hacia la Gloria", cuyo argumento relata los amores de
una joven de clase social alta con un Ministro de Guerra.
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PROFECÍA DEL LAGO (Prophecy of the Lake) Director: José María Velasco Maidana 1925.
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A rich landowner's wife living by Lake Titicaca falls in love with their Indian servant.
The film offended the upper class and was censured; it may have been burned as well. This
film is believed to be lost. Es la historia de un amor imposible, con una enorme carga de prejuicios de la sociedad de inicios de siglo. Diego un pongo (sirviente indígena) de servicio en un latifundio se apasiona por la hija del dueño. El escándalo provocado por semejante relación desbarata los planes de la incipiente pareja. Samina, la muchacha, es obligada a entablar un romance con un joven de su clase y la tragedia estalla. Al parecer la película quedó inconclusa y se exhibieron tan solo algunas partes, aunque las escenas proyectadas fueron suficientes para despertar la ira de la censura, que alegando la inconveniencia de mostrar un tema semejante prohibió su presentación pública.
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WARA WARA Director: Jose Maria Velasco Maidana 1930.
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Based on the novel La voz de la quena, by Antonio Díaz Villamil (1897-1948), who also wrote the screenplay. During the conquest, a Spanish soldier falls in love with a ñusta, a virgen princess dedicated to the sun. "Wara Wara" means "stars" but is also the name of a character. The original title was El ocaso de la tierra del sol (The Fall of the Land of the Sun). This film was lost for 50 years and has recently been restored. El argumento es de Antonio Diaz Villamil con una historia ambientada en tiempos de la conquista española de los choques culturales y emocionales frente al avasallamiento. Wara Wara hija del curaca Calicuma y de Nitaya, reside en Hatum Colla, capital del Kollasuyo. Su vida tiene un cambio radical el día que conoce al capitán Tristín de la Vega y nace entre ambos un amor que es rechazado por los coterráneos de Wara Wara, para quienes la princesa respresentaba la esperanza de una futura reivindicación de su raza frente a los atropellos de los invasores. Durante varios se creyó que originales y copias se perdieron, no obstante, a fines de la década de los noventa copia de la cinta es recuperada por Fundación Cinemateca Boliviana y parte del proceso de restauración se realiza gracias al apoyo de la cooperación alemana, con intervención de los cineastas bolivianos Verónica Córdova y Fernando Vargas. Esta institución junto al Consejo Nacional del Cine (C0NACINE) han restaurado este film, que es considerada una de las películas más representativas de la historia del cine silente boliviano. |
| FILMS NOT YET REVIEWED: |
Airamppo: Semilla que tiñe (Alexander Muñoz, 2009)
Alzire, oder der neue Kontinent (Thomas Koerfer, 1977; made in Germany)
Amargo mar (Paolo Agazzi, 1984)
Los Andes no creen en Dios (Antonio Eguino, 2007)
El juego de la araña y la mariposa (Adán Sarabia, 2010)
La oscuridad radiante (Hugo Ara, 1996, TV mini-series)
[Guerrilla activity in the town of Tarata in the 1960s seen through the eyes of a priest.
Based on the novel by Oscar Uzin.]
Pueblo chico (Antonio Eguino, 1974)
¿Quién mató a la llamita blanca? (Rodrigo Bellott, 2006)
Sena/Quina: La inmortalidad del cangrejo (Paolo Agazzi, 2005)
MAP OF INDIGENOUS GROUPS IN BOLIVIA:
If you have comments, questions, or recommendations, write to me at:
Si tienes preguntas, comentarios, o sugerencias, escríbeme a:
slipcat555@yahoo.com
slipcat555@yahoo.com