"As a filmmaker, I am a good anthropologist. As an anthropologist, a good philosopher. As a philosopher, I am a poet. As a poet, an eternal student." 

​

Reflecting on my 16 years of creating documentary films with traditional and indigenous communities in Brazil, throughout Latin America, and globally, I've arrived at the thought mentioned above. I am not a filmmaker; I opt to fully embrace my existence, not limiting myself to a conventional role, but as a lifelong learner. Therefore, no potential title could reflect my essence, and the decision to forgo a label enables me to engage differently with the medium I selected —in this instance, filmmaking and capturing various worlds with closeness and respect.
​

I think I permit myself to be and express this mindset, following how my perception of the world has evolved over time, particularly in the past eight years while I have been working on the project “Eskawata Kayawai: The Spirit of Transformation” within the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest – a feature documentary created about and in partnership with the Huni Kuin indigenous community. During every phase of its creation —from idea and development to manufacturing— numerous lessons and changes took place, both in the doing and in the being.

​

The editing phase, in particular, provided significant insights. By revisiting the interviews multiple times, one can explore the insights gained. Moreover, since the film was affected by the pandemic, I decided to create a more immersive stage experience. I situated myself in a forest setting for more than two years, providing me sufficient opportunity to examine the information and keep learning by applying numerous lessons. I wasn't merely narrating this beautiful tale  about people's lives; I was also exploring life myself and experiencing, in my own body, some lessons I could gain from their culture. This change altered the way distribution occurred, as it continued to seek participation.

 

The movie was showcased globally along with shared narratives and personal experiences, enabling us to explore the themes more thoroughly and form deeper connections with others. It represents an additional code beyond the film that can deepen comprehension by revealing narratives through a medium—me as a bridge between the world and the indigenous community—while also introducing another language and culture from the Amazon Rainforest to Western awareness. Numerous lessons emergewhen a person welcomes the opportunity to stray from the path, observe, and listen before taking action once more. We are lifelong learners, and that's who we are during our lives—or at the very least, we ought to remain open to that possibility.

​​

​

[ PHOTO ]

​

​

I’ve realized that when projects, work, or art encounter diverse perspectives, particularly those guided by indigenous and traditional communities, collaborating closely necessitates a specific dedication. I realized that to genuinely create art that links with different perspectives, particularly in capturing the seen and unseen through images and sounds, I must deliberately observe, listen, and honor. Furthermore, a genuine dedication to the community that welcomes such projects, and ultimately, a commitment to integrity it's needed. Consequently, I promptly realized that the emphasis was on unlearning. ​

​

It's essential to challenge our culture or, at the very least, to allow it to breathe and therefore transform, when having the opportunity to interact with a different culture, with diversity - which we should actually seek in nowadays world. At this time of promoting decolonial perspectives, we must assist in breaking down the perception of the world as unchanging, and particularly as a product. Consequently, unlearning is an invaluable tool for this century, and to achieve this, we must learn to observe. Contemplation is key. To allow oneself to be present in space, instead of time, alters our engagement with the world. To allow oneself to almost anything really that not being productive, in fact, fundamentally conflicts with a market and lifestyle influenced by consumerism, rapid production, and the commodification of goods. Nonetheless, initiatives like this manage to exist and engage in conversation with the audience.

​

“Deep listening is an opportunity for self-knowledge. It's our ability not only to hear the words of another
but also to embrace and honor them, accepting and letting go of our internal expectations and judgments" 
says the Brazilian contemporary thinker Lua Couto.

​

​​

FOTO AQUI

​​

​​

​

Since 2013, I have established and managed the independent film production company BTV Cultural Productions. I produce my own films, all documentary-based, having learned the skills to manage all facets of filmmaking myself, from writing the script to distributing the final product. I have attained the liberty to engage in what I am passionate about, and this enables me to sustain myself both materially and spiritually. There are certainly challenges, pespecially in dismantling many preconceived notions along the way, while striving to stay authentic to my essence, which becomes clearer with each passing moment, in how I let diversity to touch me.

​​

I navigated various worlds and cultures that profoundly changed me as a person, and still do. The camera became a means to explore and enhance my comprehension of both others and myself – and with deeper exploration, my learning expands. I reached out to individuals who live in harmony thought the natural laws, providing this audiovisual resource to enhance their voices by placing them in online media, sharing the insights of their wisdom. In this way I’ve come to understand that all work is a form of service, and every service prompts internal transformation; therefore, cinema has never been the destination but a vehicle through which I explored what stirs and moves within me, fostering the harmony between my inner and outer realities, the personal and the communal.

​

As a result of this inner commitment, I reached the Acrean Amazon Rainforest. For eight years, I journeyed to indigenous territories, supported various leaders, and welcomed families into my residence. This powerful experience evolved and manifested as the film that was about to emerge. “Eskawata Kayawai – The Spirit of Transformation” is a documentary focused on the cultural and spiritual resurgence of the Huni Kuin people's identity within the Humaitá indigenous territory, which consists of seven villages. A project created from the art of connection, cultivated through deep listening, delving into what truly lies in each sharing, beyond personal interpretations and desires. I recall this thought from the very first impressions of the initial arrival in the village - enduring several hours of flights with three connections, followed by another seven hours in a taxi, and spending a few days in the city arranging all the food production. Ultimately, we got on the boat that transported our team four days upstream to nearly the source, reaching the final village.

​

​

[PHOTO]

​

 

In the beginning, it’s difficult to comprehend that we are in the Amazon rainforest. What we first observe is a full two days of boat it is only farmland and livestock - leading to significant contemplation about the effects on distant and sacred regions just because we’ve become used to consuming meat nearly every day in Brazil. Ultimately, once the Indigenous Territory is marked out, everything transforms - it’s as if a boundary alters how each person interacts with their environment and the essence of nature. On one hand, the avarice of individuals who interact with the land through resource exploitation, and on the other, the conservation practiced by those who live in harmony, through connection and cooperation with the land.

 

Suddenly, gigantic trees create a vast woodland, a rich green tapestry inhabited by numerous hues and species, providing access to a different ambiance. The further I journeyed into the core of the Amazon rainforest, the stronger the sensation I was delving into my own heart. During the boat days, I concentrated on seeking silence, making an effort to release what wasn’t beneficial for me, the community, or the documentary. I was cautious, seeing myself as a daughter of era of poli crisis (specially of perception and awareness) developed by western mindset, being careful not to reach the village without seeking consent, holding a predetermined idea in my mind, unable to connect with the collective reality due to my attachment to personal beliefs. Unfortunately contemporary society tend to unwittingly perpetuates colonial notions disguised as normalcy, prioritizing self-interest while emerging from a culture that thrives on the illusion of separation and has limited insights into interdependence and interconnectedness.

 

Albert Einstein remarks on the distorted perception of reality, stating,

“One experiences himself, thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest, a sort of optical illusion of his consciousness. This illusion is a sort of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and affecting some of the people closest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and all of nature”.​

​

Upon my initial arrival at the village, I had a fever. My entire body ached and twisted. I think it was the liberation I concentrated in the boat, together with the effect of my body having never felt so much vitality surrounding me. Life codes were penetrating and refreshing my whole being through the pores of my skin. The vibration was extremely powerful. I was  greeted by these friendly teachings regarding my insignificance in front of this vast forest and the timeless knowledge that the indigenous peoples protect with their lives, bodies, and souls.

​

The news that I arrived shaking in fever has been delivered by a pajé/shaman that approached to assist me. He observed me and quickly suggested that I join the evening ceremony where they would offer their ayahuasca - an ancient new made by chacruna leaves and jagube vine, in fact an ancient living entity and guide of life and death that has led many generations. Despite having a high fever and chills, I trusted the old man so I was able to rise and walked to the maloca – the communal prayer house. A few hours went by as I joined the ceremony, and by the time I noticed, I was dancing, entirely overlooking the illness I felt when the ritual started. The order was presence and trust.

​​

​

FOTO AQUI

​

​​

“Being in relation to life itself, in the face of the deepest imperatives of being and existence

– the aspirations that escape the dominion of worldly things. True living is beyond all determinations.”
Albert Schweitzer in his book The Decline and Regeneration of Culture.

​

The days progressed organically and presence was the center developed over the three years of collective experiences. Afer that, world unfolded naturally as well. More than thirty unplanned interviews took place with community members and different leaders from multiple villages and indigenous territories passing through the village. The central subject they opted to discuss was the narrative of their cultural resurgence. We subsequently suggested creating a feature film about it, and the spiritual leader of the Novo Futuro village, Ninawá Pai da Mata, consented and became a co-producer. After that, internal gatherings were arranged in the village and across the indigenous area to present the concept and gather opinions on the initiative. The movie emerged naturally, connections were formed, and knowledge expanded.

​

During our third visit for the third straight year, the relationship evolved, and the learning emerged gradually as we began unlearning by searching courage to let go of our mental planning control. I recall this specific happening that led me to this thought. A moment I have faced this authentic way of life that Schweitzer refers to in certain difficult circumstances—which I like to term it as teacher-situations. When have attempted to arrange an important interview for all the three years of visiting the village. It was Yube Tete Pawã who we were seeking to listen, a young leader and son the son of the Ninawá leader Pai da Mata, the film's central figure. The young leader is a skilled young apprentice in spirituality and the arts, who, from a young age, has displayed a very strong presence, presenting himself as a natural born leader.

​​

​Whenever we arranged an interview with him, an unforeseen event occurred that kept us from doing it for years. We were able to arrange an interview for 3 PM on one occasion. But of course he never came. This caused me to think that 3 PM isn't an actual shared reality in their community Amazon Rainforest. That’s not how the community connects with space and time. Maybe if we had proposed something associated with the sun, the rain, or how life was unfolding in the village that day, it would have been considerably simpler. With just two days remaining before departing to travel to the next villages, an event occurred. The previous day of the occurrence I am about to tell, I truly believed that I have made all I can to this movie, therefore considered the work finished. I could relax in the following two days and enjoy, not worrying in having to film anything more - but that’s when everything really happened.

​

​

 

FOTO AQUI

​

​

​I rose at 4:30 AM to the sound of birds, which I found in the village to be my favorite aspect of the day, even I believed all my life I was a more night-oriented individual to a more day-oriented one. I could already hear a few community members approaching to gather and rake the earth of the terreiro - the open-air hub of the community where individuals come together during the day for several activities and gathering. The melody of the birds was so lovely that it urged me to step outside my hammock for the day. I stepped out of my hut and encountered thick fog; the surroundings were all blue. It was beautiful. I greeted the women and children raking and chatting, and I stood there watching closely one of the final days in the village, as if I were cherishing the memory in my heart, capturing this moment with my gaze. Yet I couldn't help but appreciate the melody of the birds. I have always been quite moved by birds. So I went back to the hut, picked up my audio recording gear, and began to walk slowly through the village, guided by the birds greeting the day.

​​

I walked, contemplating and observing the details, sensing the forest awaken, valuing the morning moisture. At a certain moment, I activated the sound recorder and placed it down as I moved on. I traveled through abandoned areas to thick forests, while also stopping by to see relatives who were waking up and coming back from their baths. - A quick comment regarding that: I recently realized that Brazilians generally value cleanliness due to our indigenous heritage, it's impossible for a day to begin or conclude without a proper bath in the indigenous communities, that was the base of how the Ministry of Health works.

 

I spoke with several villagers until the sun started to shine in full force. The day was sunny; it felt as if something unusual was in the atmosphere. Or was I the one who was different?!  I chose to return home as I began to remove the extra layers due to the cold morning. While walking, I picked up my recorder, and as I got closer to the terreiro, I saw some motion; the children were joyfully playing around. I quickly spotted Patrick Belem, co-director of Eskawata Kayawai, alongside Lucia Alonso, responsible for the camera and still photography for the third year of the film. They also awoke with inspiration and piloted the drone to give the video as a gift to the community, revealing how a bird perceives the village—images that later became crucial for the film's start. The kids were noisy and playing, eagerly chasing the drone and then hiding, as usual, creating their own games. The day was bright, a call to experience life. Motivated, I picked up my camera and took another stroll. The forest called me, it felt like they directed my path, as if revealing where to aim the camera. I recorded continuously until the sunlight became too intense to proceed and the and the battery had already run low; my camera overheated. I went home, we all met Patrick and Lucia there, and while the batteries recharged, we shared how everyone's morning had been, amidst visits from the children, conversations, and laughter. 

 

A short time later, unexpectedly, Yube showed up at the cabin entrance, the son of Ninawá Pai da Mata! He leaned into the hut and remarked, “Now, txai.” Txai is a term used to refer to a friend, a brother, a relative, among the Huni Kuin and native Pano speakers. That was the signal, the moment had arrived to shoot Yube. After three years, the chance simply arose out of the blue. We swiftly collected our gear and trailed behind him through the forest. He strode forward, resolute, aware of his destination, clothing a beautiful blue poncho, holding his guitar. We trailed behind him into the forest's core, where we met the enormous Samauma tree, is located, home to the spirits and the waters. The Samauma is the biggest tree in the Amazon Rainforest, and among the largest globally, it can grow up to 60 meters tall and 40 meters across its crown, with a trunk measuring up to 3 meters in diameter – it's not surprising that some refer to it as the tree of life. He settled himself at the base of the massive kapok tree and said, “What would you like to ask, txai?”

​

​
​

PJOTO 

​

 

We flowed along like that, and with each passing moment the conversation evolved, we knew the film was transforming with the presence of the youth leadership, this generation that has already had the opportunity to be born and live within its own culture. So different from the past generations, they were forbidden to have a land, their own language, eat their food, use their medicines, use their clothes and make their rituals. He was the very portrait of this revival. We stayed in the forest for quite some time, as after we recorded the conversation, Yube immediately picked up his guitar and delivered his creations. It was time for him to present, in melody and vibration, some of what he had shared in speech and reasoning. We recorded 7 of his original songs, while simultaneously receiving all the blessings of someone who had recently begun his first spiritual journey and overflowed with strength, confidence, and hope. He was the personification and victory of the mission his father undertook to achieve for his entire village, community, and people.

 

The day didn't end there; it was a series of unfolding events, including several important exchanges, documenting various interviews that guided the film, capturing sound, music, and images that capture the enchantment of the forest. We filmed from 4:30 AM until 4:30 AM the following day, most likely representing 40% of the material that makes up the finished film. We experienced a magical day of accomplishment aligned with permissiveness, beyond wanting. I understood that when you stop producing this vibration of "wanting" which generates tension between you and what you want, when you truly have the ability to surrender control of what you believe you need, desire, and seek, then and only then space is created for another vibration to begin to pulsate. And within this new vibration, we can find availability to find what is there, and allow ourselves to be found, creating true dialogue. This is because we stop seeing our own world and open ourselves to seeing what exists, and how it manifests itself.

​​

FOTO AQUI

​

This experience marked me as a profound lesson that I carried with me into life and work, allowing me to see more clearly when things were opening up or closing, inviting or repelling me, or simply inviting me to change course. Many times we end up finding other filmmakers/videomakers working on indigenous lands and with native peoples with total disrespect, without even realizing what they are really doing. They go to the village with limited time, with an idea in their head, and a voracious desire for things to happen according to their plan, even entering into power games. The last time I witnessed this, I was surprised to see the way certain people worked, producing beautiful material for social media, but with a very colonial approach.

​

I observed a person known for making high-quality, cinematic videos about indigenous peoples working alongside another internationally renowned camera professional who had also previously worked with traditional communities. It was their first time at the village, maybe even within the Huni Kuin culture. Their team arrived with limited time; they had three days to film and were to start the very next day after their arrival. There was no time to participate in daily life or cultural events to properly meet its people. Their only walk through the village was to assess the "locations" meaning they had no intention of getting to know the territory and how people live, focusing solely on a mercantilist perspective where they looked at the land and culture of others to extract an image. They mixed up and confused people's names because they lacked time and needed to organize their filming, offering opinions on the painting of their sacred geometries or even the person's hair.

 

There was neither time nor space to get to know the people, their names, their families, their homes, their clans, their worldview... Their sole interest was pointing the camera at the powerful figures (shamans and leaders) and the musical groups, to fulfill their pre-established objectives. We were astonished by such a lack of respect, which this pair probably hasn't even realized to this very day. That creates harm, specially it teaches the indigenous people if they were to be heard they have to conform themselves into disrespectful ways of working and sharing wisdom.

​

“The pilgrim undergoes a change in consciousness, and for the pilgrim this change is real. Pilgrimage is a form of initiation, and initiation is an opening to other forms of cognition (...) the pilgrim – we can say – leaves the “secular space” of home and travels to the “sacred space” of the sanctuary to experience the difference between “secular” and “sacred.” Hakim Bey

​

I quote this historian and poet, after my storytelling, to shed light on a very important perception on what kind of culture we want to perpetuate with our interactions, our relationships. Working with art, especially, is a pilgrim's mission. There is a need to go far beyond the mastery of technique, but engage in researching and understanding the fundamentals of how and why one is proposing this art work. Especially as art has always had a strong connection when to reflect on humanity, one's own essence and nature, the force that moves existence. And so, it is possible to imbue creation with that strength, that spirit, and not just with the capital mind. In particular, in the fragmented rhythm of time in which we live, where we create a time disconnected from the natural rhythm, we create disconnection, imbalance, and harm. As Fabio Rubio Sacarano says, "the degradation of the biosphere and the distancing between the human and the natural imposes the apocalypse of time (...) The past of our individual history tries to anchor us in the present of our values, which is bombarded by the future that is already almost yesterday." 

​

Especially if we work with original and natural order issues it demands presence and the invitation to go beyond the paradigm "I think, therefore I am" to "I relate, therefore I am", The human mind is part of this process of self-revelation of the whole, but not the whole. In the words of the Brazilian indigenous leader Celia Xakriabá; "Before arriving at the elaboration of the concept, there is a trajectory. The elaboration of thought is not exactly by the head, it is by the feet, the body and the hands as well. So the head is almost the last place where the refinement of the elaboration of thought happens."

Rationalized thought, solely driven by the mind, disintegrates the body that indicates, the feeling that evaluates, the intuition that reveals, bringing consciousness to its integral form, freeing it from the fragmented places into which society insists on confining us. Relating to others, however, is where we test the integration of each individual's world, formed in every thought, placed in dialogue with the community, in the web of life, transforming into action what we think we have learned, and through our actions, we nourish (or not) certain types of paradigms and worldviews.

 

FOTO AQYU

 

Indigenous peoples and traditional communities are guardians of many keys that we need to relearn, reaccess, and remember in order to move forward, to move forward while remaining alive, both materially and spiritually. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to be so close to these communities, teaching me so much just by the way they live and relate to each other in their daily lives. I am honoured to be able to be a first-time listener and to work hand in hand in creating content imbued with spirit, which will be shared worldwide, thus making me a bridge, sharing the teachings I sought for myself.

​

I’ve learned that to bear fruit from ancestral knowledge, connected to the land and a worldview, it is necessary to be willing to learn to unlearn. It is necessary to be willing to set oneself aside a little, to finally find oneself, and overcome the limitations that prevent listening to and understanding natural knowledge beyond the colonial codes in which we are embedded. The belief of the need to fit into a matrix, where humans are more than nature, led us to become narrow-minded machines, preventing us from growing, hardening our hearts, and feeding the individualistic logic that has its roots in fear and the imaginary of separation. Even so, many times in this search for 'something is missing,' our spirit manages to forge a path to the heart of the Amazon rainforest, and there lies the challenge. It is no use carrying and sustaining the logic of the city with us into the middle of the forest, in the dominant colonizing role.

​

Knowing how to ask for permission and respect those who came before is extremely important for learning, for growing, for creating, for moving forward. As Faria Brito's thought suggests, "There is a problem that permeates all of Brazilian culture since the prevalence of Portuguese Aristotelianism in Brazilian philosophical education. It is the problem of self-knowledge." This is an invitation to reclaim the wisdom of a country that arose by persecuting, belittling, and concealing from history the wisdom of its original peoples. To know oneself by unveiling the other, our ancestor.

To arrive calmly and peacefully, to know how to be silent and observe where one steps, to position oneself from that space of true wisdom. To have the humility to value the place of the learner, who is also sometimes a teacher, and there is no teacher who is not a learner. Only then can we re-establish a true connection with the ground we walk on, with respect and responsibility for all our relationships. These 10+ years of learning alongside indigenous and traditional peoples teach me to navigate life through the invitation to self-knowledge. Ten years, yet still the beginning of this long journey of unlearning to learn. I close with the great heart of the great indigenous philosopher Ailton Krenak, “to postpone the end of the world we have to tell one more story (...) during the story told or heard, eternity is prolonged: a time capsule in which hope sails, which propels us forward.” Here is my story, of my stories, which are the stories of the intersection of many lives.

*All photographs by Lucia Alonso @lucithehuman for the film “
Eskawata Kayawai” @eskawatafilm - Watch the documentary mentioned here:

 

 

https://watch.eventive.org/eskawatafilm/

 

 

​