ICA | Images of Enchantment + Q&A

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Films

A person with dirt on his chest rests in a bed covered with dirt, in a jungle. He has a pipe attached to his mouth, which is receiving water from a small water cooler tank.

Siia Ara (521 Years / 521 Anos), dir. Adanilo, Brazil 2021, 5 min.

Nine visually striking short films showcase how Indigenous communities have endured centuries of colonisation, capitalist exploitation and violent attempts to erase their culture.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the festival curators and the filmmakers.

Programme

The Word Became Flesh (O verbo se Fez Carne), dir. Ziel Karapotó, Brazil 2019, 6 min., Portuguese with English subtitles

Ziel Karapotó’s work straddles the line between video performance and video art. Using his own body, he seeks to expose the lasting effects of five centuries of colonisation on the Indigenous peoples of Abya Yala. In particular, he focuses on the imposition of the coloniser’s language on Indigenous communities and the resulting scars left by the European invasion, which he sees as a key aspect of the broader colonialist project.

This Currency Is Not What Carries Me (O Que Me Leva Nao É Mercadoria De Bolso), dir. Barbara Leite Matias, Brazil 2022, 6 min., Portuguese with English subtitles

Part of an art series called Art-Life Ritual Actions for Radical Tenderness, this video is an analogy the artist makes with the seeds she carries in her pocket and coins: a comparison between her native world and the capitalist and controlled civilised society where the sense of individual identity seems to be lost.

Pinjawuli (The Poison Has Reached Me / O Veneno Me Alcançou), dir. Bih Kezo. Brazil 2021, 2 min., Portuguese with English subtitles

Blurring the line between fiction and documentary, this film is inspired by the director’s dream of a crop-dusting airplane spraying pesticides over plantations near the Manoki and Myky village in Brazil’s Central-West. The strong smell alarms the locals, serving as a commentary on the increasing use of pesticides in Brazil in recent years.

Itsuni Ügüno (Jungle Fever / Febre Da Mata), dir. Takumã Kuikuro, Brazil 2022, 10 min., Itsuni Ügüno with English subtitles

The film portrays a shaman and his family fishing when a jaguar suddenly appears, roaring in distress and seeking help. The shaman alerts his community about the danger and turns to shamanism for spiritual guidance. However, the forest is set on fire, causing the animals to flee and leading to many deaths. The resulting drought is severe, highlighting the consequences of human actions on nature and the need for spiritual and environmental awareness.

Siia Ara (521 Years / 521 Anos), dir. Adanilo, Brazil 2021, 5 min.

After centuries of oppression and eradication, the Indigenous peoples of Abya Yala awaken to reclaim their land, culture and history. Fuelled by the spiritual power of their ancestors and the roar of the jaguar, they face the colonial coma head-on, determined to retell their story and become one with nature. As the next 521 years approach, the future is theirs to shape as they revive their traditions and fight for their rights.

Lithipokoroda, dir. Lilly Baniwa, Brazil 2021, 28 min., Baniwa and Tukano with English subtitles

Lithipokoroda is an Indigenous performance manifesto from São Gabriel da Cachoeira in the Amazon. It portrays an ancestral woman walking from the forest to the maloca, while white men destroy the forest. Despite this destruction, ancestral knowledge lives on. Young Indigenous people use technology to denounce violence and defend their culture, demanding an end to genocide, violence and discrimination.

Jayankiri, dir. Natali Mamani, Brazil 2021,10 min., Spanish & Portuguese with English subtitles

Jayankiri, which in Aymara language means ‘someone who lives far away’, is symbolically portrayed through dance, performance and spiritual being. This essay film explores the nostalgia created by the territorial displacement of the Andean people who feel desolated between uncertainties and memories of their lives interrupted by colonisation that affect the present through immigration.

Karaiw a’e wà (The Civilised / Os Civilizados), dir. Zahy Tentehar, Brazil 2022, 15 min., Ze’eng Eté & Portuguese with English subtitles

Karaiw a’e wà tackles issues of hybridity, assimilation, autonomy, and techno-centric civilisation, exploring Indigenous Futurism as a counter-methodology against the historical erasure of Indigenous knowledge, technologies and creative forms. The film questions the meaning of ‘civilisation’ and highlights the damaging effects of colonialism, where colonisers were labelled ‘civilised’ despite their lack of responsibility and consideration for society. In contrast, Indigenous peoples were deemed ‘uncivilised’, ‘savage’, and erased from history. The film poses questions about the consequences of civility and responsibility for marginalised communities, including neglecting socioenvironmental damage, collective responsibility, sustainability and health, and invites viewers to reflect on the importance of recognising and respecting Indigenous knowledge and culture.

Xe Ñe’e (My Being / Meu Ser), dir. Graci Guarani, Brazil 2022, 7 min, Guarani-Kaiowá & Spanish with English subtitles

This experimental short film offers a personal exploration of the power of collective thought and action, beginning with the practice of subjective experiences. It reveals the uniqueness of each individual’s existence, as well as the concept of Ñe’e, which refers to the world-soul that sustains our lives. The film delves into how we each carry our essence and the significance of Ñe’e in shaping our individuality.

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