Between the Americas, Ep. 1: Listening to San Blas

Stef Biemans | Documentary

2023 | 42 minutes | 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.

Synopsis

The Islands of San Blas are inhabited by the Kuna people, an Indigenous group who live on the rhythm of nature. As their islands are at the forefront of climate change, with the Caribbean Sea rising continuously, they face a huge dilemma: relocate to the mainland or to wait until the water comes?

Stef Biemans preserves the final sounds of this extraordinary culture: a sewing machine, the threatening waves, a grated coconut and the singing palm tree.

Series Description

For a long time, Central America seemed to be on the rise, but opposing forces have hindered any positive developments. There have emerged two Americas, and in between these two visions, journalist Stef Biemans listens to the stories of Central America. Biemans has lived and worked in the region for more than 15 years and brights to light the delicate situation of many Central Americans in a calleidoscope of sounds and stories.

Reviews

“What we hear and see in Between the Americas is beautiful poetry and deeply disturbing.” — NRC Handelsblad

“This series feels just as colorful and double-edged as a fairy tale. In between the ominous stories,
you can find hope and humanity, just like in a real fary tale.” — Trouw

“A documentary maker wants to portray an unkown area with the sounds of a small recording device.
If I would be in charge of a network I would tell him to get lost. But if the documentary maker is Stef Biemans and the area is Central America, I hope I will have the wisdom to say yes.” — Groene Amsterdammer

Citation
Main credits

Biemans, Stef (film director)
Biemans, Stef (narrator)
Frints, Nicole (film producer)

Other credits

Cinematography, Remco Bikkers; editing, Joël Hielckert & Stef Biemans.


Citation
Cataloging
Keywords
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DIRECTOR: Stef Biemans

NATIONALITY: The Netherlands

YEAR: 2023

GENRE: Documentary

LANGUAGE: Dutch; Spanish; Other languages

COLOR / B&W: Color

GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School, College, Adult

SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE

AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE

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