Indigenous Peoples
The collection of films featuring indigenous people in Latin America presents a unique opportunity for scholars and students to explore the cultural and social dynamics of indigenous communities in the region. These films offer an insightful and nuanced representation of the struggles, adaptations, and achievements of these communities in the face of historical and contemporary challenges.
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The Indigenous Peoples collection includes the following titles:
A Place Called Music
Un lugar llamado música
Documentary
Mexico
The captivating musical encounter between American composer Philip Glass and Mexican Wixárika musician Daniel Medina.
Amazon Mirror
O Reflexo do Lago
Documentary
Brazil
During the 1980s, Brazil's military dictatorship erected a massive Amazon dam, leaving residents without electricity for 40 years. A film crew explores the decision to stay.
Atempa, Dreams by the River
Atempa, sueños a la orilla del rio
Documentary
Mexico
Tino considers herself neither male nor female, but rather a “muxe,” a third gender that has been integrated into Zapotec culture.
Ayahuasca: Expansion of Consciousness
Documentary
Brazil
This is a comprehensive view of Ayahuasca use, blending scientific, religious, and anthropological perspectives with the director's personal healing journey.
Bad Influence
Mala junta
Fiction, Drama
Chile
A reflection of the ongoing Mapuche conflict and social prejudices portrayed through the friendship and solidarity of two teenagers.
Between Fire and Water
Entre fuego y agua
Documentary
Colombia
Camilo is a young black man adopted by an indigenous couple in rural Colombia. Supported by his adoptive father, Camilo embarks on a journey to find his true identity and understand his two races.
Between the Americas, Ep. 1: Listening to San Blas
Documentary
The Netherlands
The San Blas Islands house Kuna people facing the realities of climate change. Stef Biemans captures their culture's fading sounds amid rising seas.
Between the Americas, Ep. 2: Panama’s Echo
Documentary
The Netherlands
Panama's thriving economy fuels vertical growth. Biemans explores the vibrant neighborhood beneath, uncovering changes for ordinary Panamanians.
Between the Americas, Ep. 3: The Silence of Guatemala
Documentary
The Netherlands
The Maya people's 40-year silence on the Guatemalan genocide under General Ríos Montt. Will there be a moment to finally break this silence?
Boreal
Fiction, Drama
Paraguay, Mexico
Benjamin is having trouble adjusting to barbed wire work. Left by The Boss in a desolate spot, he and other workers feel that the Paraguayan Chaco is getting strange and tiring.
Brickmakers (Chircales)
Chircales
Documentary, Classic
Colombia
An essential and highly influential classic, Chircales is the product of two of the most prominent and rebellious voices of the New Latin American Cinema: Marta Rodríguez and Jorge Silva.
Cerro Rico Tierra Rica
Cerro rico, tierra rica
Documentary
Bolivia, Colombia, United States
The rituals of two mining communities are observed in this striking and unsparing portrait of life and work in Bolivia's altiplano. A strong denunciation of the hardships and alienation inherent in mining work while underscoring its impact on the native population.
Ciro and Me
Ciro y yo
Documentary
Colombia
Wherever Ciro goes, war always finds him. His children were recruited by the armies of war, his family was repeatedly displaced, and his indigenous wife died of sadness. Foreign to the system, but a victim of the system, Ciro has led a heroic anonymous struggle to live life on his own terms.
Dicing with Death, Ep. 04 - Guatemala: Land of the Maya
Guatemala: En terre Maya
Documentary, Series
France
Faced with rising crime and the inadequacy of the under-equipped police force, being a bus driver in Guatemala is one of the country's most perilous professions.
Duo
Dúo
Drama, Experimental
Spain, Spain, Argentina, France, Chile
Set against the backdrop of the Argentine and Chilean Andes, Duo follows two seasoned dancers at personal and professional crossroads.
Eternal Amazon
Amazônia eterna
Documentary
Brazil
A critical analysis of how the world’s largest tropical rainforest is understood and utilized. The film asks whether it is possible for humans to make sustainable use the Amazon by featuring nine successful projects that directly benefit the local population and foster good economic partnerships.
Fidel, Brave Child
Fidel, niño valente
Documentary
Argentina, Paraguay
A Paraguayan migrant, Fidel rides a horse deep in the Argentine jungle. Wearing Maradona’s iconic number 10 jersey, he sets out on a quest to earn money and support his mother.
From the Land to Your Table
¿Qué culpa tiene el tomate?
Documentary, Experimental
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Spain, Venezuela
From the Land to Your Table shows the perspectives of seven Ibero-American filmmakers as they capture the conditions and cultural diversity of popular produce markets in their individual countries.
Giants Don't Exist
Los gigantes no existen
Drama, Fiction
Guatemala
Based on the true story of Guatemalan activist Jesús Tecú, Chema Rodríguez’s second feature is a harrowing and powerful drama about survival and hope. Teco was one of the few survivors of the 1982 Río Negro massacre against indigenous populations, in which 177 women and children died.
Guaraní
Drama, Fiction, Adventure
Argentina, Paraguay
Part road movie and part coming-of-age drama, Guaraní portrays two generations of Paraguayans whose views of the world seem centuries apart. A long journey to Buenos Aires will make Atilio and Iara understand the real meaning of traditions and family bonds.
Guie'dani's Navel
El Ombligo de Guie'dani (XQUIPI' GUIE'DANI)
Drama, Fiction
Mexico
A striking contrast to Alfonso Cuarón's Roma, Guie’dani’s Navel is a unique coming-of-age narrative exploring the racism inflicted on indigenous people in Mexico and the empowerment of a new generation that refuses to accept it silently.
Helena from Sarayaku
Helena Sarayaku Manta
Documentary
Ecuador
Seventeen-year-old Helena yearns to protect her indigenous community from extractive development and the repercussions of climate change.
La Chiperita: By the Road
La chiperita
Comedy, Fiction, Romance
Paraguay
A box office success in Paraguay, La Chiperita: By The Road speaks to us of love in different ways: the impossible love that might come true, the love of family and friends, but most importantly, the importance of doing things with love.
Martírio
Documentary
Brazil
Filmed over the course of 40 years, indigenous expert and filmmaker Vincent Carelli seeks out the origins of the Guaraní Kaiowá genocide. A conflict of disproportionate forces: the peaceful and obstinate insurgency of the dispossessed Guaraní Kaiowá against the powerful apparatus of agribusiness.
Motorcyclist’s Happiness Won't Fit Into His Suit
Al motociclista no le cabe la felicidad en el traje
Fiction, Drama, Experimental
Mexico
There he sits proudly on his beautiful motorbike, certain that he alone can explore the jungle. A playful re-enactment with reversed roles that takes aim at colonialism.
Nudo Mixteco
Nudo mixteco
Drama, Fiction
Mexico
A quietly powerful triptych of stories that speak about the impact of migration and the plight of indigenous women in a rural Mixtec village in Oaxaca.
Our Song to War
Nuestro canto a la guerra
Documentary, Experimental
Colombia, Belgium
Following a massacre by the FARC guerrillas, a Colombian village emerges as a mysterious place where people sing as they guide spirits across a mystic river.
Persistent Woman
Mujer perseverante
Documentary
Argentina
In 1994, the people of the northern Argentina were left without work when mines closed. There, a kolla woman creates an organization of weaving women.
River Silence
Documentary
Canada
As construction of one of the world’s largest dams destroys the Amazon’s ancient ecosystems, the filmmaker offers a plea for those brutalized for rampant development.
Sealed Cargo
Carga sellada
Drama, Comedy, Fiction
Bolivia, France, Mexico, Venezuela
A lively rejoinder to Bolivia's status as a dumping ground for the world's industrial waste. Rich in symbolism and in spirit, Sealed Cargo is a terrific ride through the seldom-seen Altiplano and a potent reminder of what really matters.
Secrets from Putumayo
Segredos do Putumayo
Documentary
Brazil
A documentary about the man widely considered to be the pioneer of international human rights inquiries, Roger Casement (1864-1916). His work in Africa, Brazil, and his native Ireland still has repercussions today.
Southern District
Zona sur
Drama, Fiction, Comedy, Romance
Bolivia
Bolivia’s official entry for the Academy® Awards, this searing portrait of a patrician family in flux exposes the bubble of decadence in which they exist. The threat of shifting aristocratic privilege heralds a new era in a seemingly interminable class war.
The Beach of the Enchaquirados
La playa de los Enchaquirados
Documentary
Ecuador
Vicky balances her physically tough fishing work at sea with feminine elegance in her private life. Through her we get to know a trans community that is part of a fishing village on the coast of Ecuador. Over time, do we learn to accept the other or, instead, do differences cloud our ability to see?
The Dangerous Memory, Ep. 01 - The Indian Protection Service Scandal
O escândalo do serviço de proteção aos índios
Documentary, Series
Brazil
An investigation into the extermination policy of the Brazilian State against indigenous populations during the civil-military dictatorship.
The Dangerous Memory, Ep. 02 - Pacification and Transfer
Pacificação e transferência
Documentary, Series
Brazil
An investigation into the extermination policy of the Brazilian State against indigenous populations during the civil-military dictatorship.
The Dangerous Memory, Ep. 03 - The Pin and the Transamazonica
O pin e a transamazõnica
Documentary, Series
Brazil
An investigation into the extermination policy of the Brazilian State against indigenous populations during the civil-military dictatorship.
The Dangerous Memory, Ep. 04 - From Emancipation to the Itaipu Hydroelectric Plant
Da emancipação à hidrelétrica Itaipu
Documentary, Series
Brazil
An investigation into the extermination policy of the Brazilian State against indigenous populations during the civil-military dictatorship.
The Dangerous Memory, Ep. 05 - The Transnational Indigenous Movement
O movimento indígena transnacional
Documentary, Series
Brazil
An investigation into the extermination policy of the Brazilian State against indigenous populations during the civil-military dictatorship.
The Dangerous Memory, Ep. 06 - The 1988 Constitution and the Challenges of the 21st Century
A consituiçao de 1988 e os desafios do séc. XXI
Documentary, Series
Brazil
An investigation into the extermination policy of the Brazilian State against indigenous populations during the civil-military dictatorship.
The Empty Classroom
El aula vacía
Documentary, Fiction
Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, El Salvador
To explore the dropout crisis in Latin America, creative director Gael García Bernal gathered 11 award-winning filmmakers who have created a captivating anthology of short films that delve into the underlying reasons, from poverty to societal traditions, why students aren’t graduating.
The Eternal Night of Twelve Moons
La eterna noche de las doce lunas
Documentary
Colombia
Twelve-year-old Pili is entering womanhood, and as tradition dictates in her Wayuu indigenous community, she must be isolated from all men for 12 moon cycles.
The Facilitator
El facilitador
Drama, Fiction, Thriller
Chile, Ecuador, United States
A political thriller about human rights, The Facilitator is one of the most successful films to come out of Ecuador in the last few years.
The Good Life
La buena vida
Documentary
Germany, Switzerland
Jairo Fuentes, a charismatic young Wayúu leader, fights to protect his community from displacement caused by the El Cerrejón coal mine's rapid expansion.
The Guardians
Documentary
Mexico, United States
An indigenous Mexican community and millions of monarch butterflies are under threat of extinction in the ancient forest they call home.
The Rebellion of Memory
La rebelión de la memoria
Documentary
Ecuador
The indigenous movement leads the protests against the elimination of the subvention to the gas fuels by the Ecuadorian government.
The River's Retreat
El ciar del río
Documentary
Argentina
A kayaker embarks on an expedition down a wild river following an explorer's old navigation letters.
The Spirit of the Ancestors
Te Kuhane o te Tupuna: El espíritu de los ancestros
Documentary
Chile
Three generations of the Pakarati family travel to Europe to reclaim the Stolen Friend - one of Rapa Nui's (Easter Island) sacred spirits - which was stolen by colonizers and is one of the countless sacred objects housed in museums worldwide.
The Wind Blows the Border
Venta na fronteira
Documentary
Brazil
On the violent border between Brazil and Paraguay, a battle wages between agribusiness and indigenous sovereignty.
This Stolen Country of Mine
Mein gestohlenes Land
Documentary
Germany, Ecuador
Recently assassinated journalist and presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio and the indigenous resistance exposed the Ecuadorian government's corrupt agreements that allow Chinese exploitation of local mines.
Yvy Maraey Land Without Evil
Yvy Maraey, tierra sin mal
Drama, Fiction, Adventure
Bolivia
A Bolivian filmmaker and a Guaraní Indian travel together through the forests of southeastern Bolivia to make a film about the Guaraní people.
Zoila
Documentary
Chile
When Gabriela discovers that Zoila, her childhood Mapuche indigenous nanny, doesn’t appear in the family tapes, she begins to question her mother's social construct.