The story of the relationship between Karamakate, an Amazonian shaman and last survivor of his people, and two scientists who work together over the course of forty years to search the Amazon for a sacred healing plant.
During the marijuana bonanza, a violent decade that saw the origins of drug trafficking in Colombia, Rapayet and his indigenous family get involved in a war to control the business that ends up destroying their lives and their culture.
Directors:
Cristina Gallego,
Ciro Guerra
Stars:
Carmiña Martínez,
José Acosta,
Natalia Reyes
Two men meet in downtown Bogotá; one is missing a leg, the other is a "silletero," a man who carries people around for money. Each character bears the burden of a bitter past life.
A cattle herder and his family who reside in the dunes of Timbuktu find their quiet lives -- which are typically free of the Jihadists determined to control their faith -- abruptly disturbed.
A documentary which challenges former Indonesian death-squad leaders to reenact their mass-killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish, including classic Hollywood crime scenarios and lavish musical numbers.
A lot of people live in an abandoned house; after many years of quiet living, the owner of the house wants them out. They try whatever they can to avoid being evicted, without success. But ... See full summary »
Director:
Sergio Cabrera
Stars:
Fausto Cabrera,
Frank Ramírez,
Delfina Guido
In a Russian coastal town, Kolya is forced to fight the corrupt mayor when he is told that his house will be demolished. He recruits a lawyer friend to help, but the man's arrival brings further misfortune for Kolya and his family.
Director:
Andrey Zvyagintsev
Stars:
Aleksey Serebryakov,
Elena Lyadova,
Roman Madyanov
When five orphan girls are seen innocently playing with boys on a beach, their scandalized conservative guardians confine them while forced marriages are arranged.
The story of the relationship between Karamakate, an Amazonian shaman and last survivor of his people, and two scientists who work together over the course of forty years to search the Amazon for a sacred healing plant.
It is comforting that there are many ways to beauty, wisdom, healing and splendor. Yet, by neglect and ignorance, we risk losing many of them. This compelling and radiant black and white film takes viewers on an ethno-botanical journey to a faraway place, deep into the Colombian Amazon. The film blends fact and fiction and traces the parallel canoe explorations by a German explorer, Theodor Koch- Grunberg in 1909, and an American scientist, Richard Evans, in the 1940s. Both explorers meet the same native medicine man, Karamakate. Their ensuing explorations together, ostensibly in search of an elusive flower with amazing medicinal properties, leads them to discoveries within themselves as well as in the forest. "Listen to what the river can tell you," says Karamakate "every tree, every flower brings wisdom."
The only way to heal is by learning how to dream. They emerge from the forests as different men. What unites them is their love of plants. The film takes a balanced view of each character and puts no one on a pedestal. The cinematography is enthralling, the soundtrack is mesmerizing and the acting is superb. The only downside is that the film might benefit from more money and support (or it could detract from it as well, I'm not sure). The film creates a needed space for consideration and dialogue between diverse cultures. We neglect and abuse other cultures, and the environment, at our peril. Seen at the Toronto International Film Festival 2015.
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It is comforting that there are many ways to beauty, wisdom, healing and splendor. Yet, by neglect and ignorance, we risk losing many of them. This compelling and radiant black and white film takes viewers on an ethno-botanical journey to a faraway place, deep into the Colombian Amazon. The film blends fact and fiction and traces the parallel canoe explorations by a German explorer, Theodor Koch- Grunberg in 1909, and an American scientist, Richard Evans, in the 1940s. Both explorers meet the same native medicine man, Karamakate. Their ensuing explorations together, ostensibly in search of an elusive flower with amazing medicinal properties, leads them to discoveries within themselves as well as in the forest. "Listen to what the river can tell you," says Karamakate "every tree, every flower brings wisdom."
The only way to heal is by learning how to dream. They emerge from the forests as different men. What unites them is their love of plants. The film takes a balanced view of each character and puts no one on a pedestal. The cinematography is enthralling, the soundtrack is mesmerizing and the acting is superb. The only downside is that the film might benefit from more money and support (or it could detract from it as well, I'm not sure). The film creates a needed space for consideration and dialogue between diverse cultures. We neglect and abuse other cultures, and the environment, at our peril. Seen at the Toronto International Film Festival 2015.