Wild & Scenic Film Festival 2019 - The River of the Kukamas (El Río de los Kukamas)
Being born from the Spirit of the river, Kukama people have a special connection with the water. The river shrinks and grows throughout the year, affecting the lives of its citizens. Filmed at its widest state at the end of the rain season, we learn the cosmology of this disappearing culture in Peru.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Nika Belianina
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Thank you! Originally I made this film as a part of my artist-in-residence experience when living with the Kukama people in the northern part of Peru.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
The film takes you into a unique and a calm place and tells you a story of people you probably knew nothing about. Wouldn't you want to watch something like this?
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
A deep connection of Kukama people with the water is rather personal and unique to their environment, as the water changes not only the landscape, but the fishing opportunities few times a year. Yet the changes they face as a society, like the loss of their culture and customs, is something that many notice in their own hometowns. Inviting narrator's voice draws us into his world as he shares his thoughts and feelings with us.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
I went to Peru to start a completely different film - on women's issues, but unfortunately everything fell apart and I couldn't film what I intended. This film came out of nowhere in a very short period of time - basically, within a week. The residency promised us a deep integration into Kukama culture, but that was nearly impossible as most of the Kukama people have surrendered to all kinds of Christianity. So I went on a quest for Kukama identity. I found the preserver of the culture, who became my narrator and a friend, and that's how "The River of the Kukamas" was born.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
It's been a true blessing to screen my film at over 20 film festivals in 12 countries! It has shown at environmental film festivals, kids screenings, in universities, art galleries and museums, as well as at the world-class film festivals such as Tribeca, Sheffield and Sao Paulo. Many people refer to my film as visually-stunning.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I am always surprised and happy when people like my work. There have been no backlash to it, so far. Furthermore, we surprised our audiences when I brought the narrator of my film to the world premiere in New York.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
There are so many films created daily, so it is hard to get your voice properly heard. Every little share and appraisal helps. I hope the film resonates with the people and will make them more compassionate towards each other and indigenous communities in particular. It may inspire them to get out on a nature, too.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I'd love for more journalists to talk about the disappearing cultures, as portrayed in my film. Buyers are welcome, too. And I'm always happy to meet new like-minded producers. Together we can make more impactful work in the future.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I hope for more indigenous voices to be heard and appreciated. Not only because they've been widely ignored and silenced for centuries, but also because they serve as the protectors of their lands and habitats, hence, helping our own planet int he time of need. This includes voices from the smaller indigenous communities like Kukama, who spread across Peru and Brazil down Amazon basin.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
How do we keep smaller languages alive, as these languages posses unique knowledge of the terrains and survivals on them? How do we work together respectively, while preserving our own cultural identities?
Would you like to add anything else?
Although my film doesn't have a strong call for action, it allows you to reflect on your own life and wonder about the beauty of our planet. I hope everyone can enjoy that. It's been extraordinary to see how my film helped the village to position themselves stronger in the region and to attract more income opportunities by preserving their heritage through the expansion of their cultural center that also serves as the hostel.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I am currently developing a feature that I initially set out to start in Peru. It is a cross-cultural study of women, who longed for but could not become mothers. I've shot some preliminary interviews in Chile, Russia, Canada and on the Blackfeet Reservation in the USA. I am also writing a script for a fiction feature. It would be a comment on our obsession with the digital world, when it comes to relationships.
Interview: January 2019
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
The River of the Kukamas (El Río de los Kukamas)
Being born from the Spirit of the river, Kukama people have a special connection with the water. The river shrinks and grows throughout the year, affecting the lives of its citizens. Filmed at its widest state at the end of the rain season, we learn the cosmology of this disappearing culture in Peru.
Length: 7:16
Director: Nika Belianina
Producer: Nika Belianina
Writer: Nika Belianina
About the writer, director and producer:
Moscow-raised, Toronto-based NIKA BELIANINA has been making fiction and documentary films since 2005. Her films, for which she has earned eight awards, have screened at such film festivals as Tribeca, Sheffield Doc/Fest, Atlanta and many others across five continents of the globe.
Key cast: Pablo Taricuarima Pinedo
Looking for: producers, journalists, buyers
Instagram: @riverofthekukamas , @lifeasnika
Funders: self
Made in association with: Asociacion Yrapakatun, Write.Right Films
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?, January 19, 20 2019 @ Wild and Scenic Film Festival (CA, USA) Director in attendance, March 7, 8 @ 24th Society of Photographic Education Media Festival (Ohio, USA), March 14-24 @ 27th Environmental Film festival in the Nation's Capital (Washington, DC). Additional screenings in the US and Canada are currently in negotiations.