Anaconda Prize for Indigenous Video

Peru, Ecuador, Brazil and Bolivia win Anaconda Prize for Indigenous Video

Peru, Ecuador, Brazil and Bolivia were the winners of the international Anaconda Prize 2004 for Indigenous Video from the Amazon, El Chaco and the Tropical Forests of Latin America and the Caribbean. The award is sponsored by the Andean Development Corporation (CAF). In its third year, 135 works from 11 countries of the region were received to participate in the competition.

The award ceremony took place in the presence of Bolivian President Carlos Mesa, government authorities, diplomatic corps, and representatives of indigenous peoples.

The Grand Anaconda Prize 2004 for the best audiovisual production was awarded to "Buscando el Azul” by the Peruvian director Fernando Valdivia Gómez; the documentary prize went to the Ecuadorian work “Sachata Kishpichik Mani, Soy Defensor de la Selva” by producer Eriberto Gualinga Montalvo; the Fiction/Docufiction Prize was won by the Brazilian work "Moyngo, el sueño de Maragareum” by producers Kumaré, Karané and Natuyo Ikpeng; and the Special Prize for Experimental Work went to the Bolivian animated film “Teco, el Niño Mojeño” by producer Rubén Machado Navía.

The Anaconda Prize aims to deepen dissemination of the cultural values of the indigenous peoples of the Amazon, El Chaco and the Tropical Forests of Latin America and the Caribbean. The prize is an incentive for the production of audiovisual materials by and on indigenous peoples. Dissemination of the best works contributes to knowledge, recognition, appreciation and respect for the plurality of cultures and the development aspirations of indigenous communities.

The Andean Development Corporation (CAF) has been committed to this event since it began in 2000. Culture, as creative expression of peoples, is part of the CAF's mission and reaffirms its commitment to sustainable development and integration, promoting initiatives for dissemination of the region’s cultural values. In addition to the Anaconda Prize, the CAF also supports the Andean Choral Voices Program, the Andean Traveling Conservatory and the Bolivian Cinemateca.

The Anaconda Prize 2004 is also sponsored by the Regional Program to Support Amazonian Indigenous Peoples (PRAIA); the Latin American Council of Cinema and Communication of Indigenous Peoples (CLACPI-Bolivia); Coordinator of Amazon Basin Indigenous Organizations (COICA); and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The winners received cash prizes of US$3,000 for first place and US$2,000 for second and third.

Selecting the best

The best videos were selected by local indigenous juries of 12 people in 16 meetings held in Amazonian communities and the tropical forests of Panama, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia and Brazil, together with an international jury of recognized audiovisual professionals involved in the process of indigenous communication. "The Anaconda Prize grows and is developing with great success every year," said Juan Carlos Schulze, director of PRAIA, who emphasizes the great potential of the works presented by Bolivia, where video makers have been trained for over 20 years.

The countries participating in this third annual event are Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. The winning works will be shown at recognized international video and cinema festivals, and in cultural spaces in various countries. "We want to contribute to strengthening the self-esteem and local identities of many indigenous peoples on their own development aspirations," said Schulze.

DESCRIPTION OF THE WINNING WORKS

“Buscando el Azul” (Quest for the blue)

Fernando Valdivia, Perú, Winner of the Grand Anaconda Prize

The production took the anecdote of an indigenous painter’s search for plants to reproduce the color blue. The formation of the artist, the showing of his world and his interrelation with mestizo society were the framework of this work in which technical quality and the virtues of the screenplay stand out.

“Sachata Kishpichik Mani, Soy Defensor de la Selva” (I am defender of the Forest)

Eriberto Gualinga, Ecuador, Winner Documentary Category

Sarayaku is a Kichwa community in the Ecuadorian Amazon which preserves its tradition, culture and way of life. The community defends its rights and obtains the legalization of its land. The video shows the clash with the oil companies.

“Moyngo – El sueño de Maragareum” (Maragareum’s Dream)

Kumare, Karane and Natuyu Ikpeng, Brazil, Winner Fiction/Docufiction Category

In a video workshop, the Ikpeng community decides to film the myth that gave origin to the tattooing ceremony for children. The mythical hero Maragareum dreams of the death of the inhabitants of his godfather’s village. Arriving at the village, he finds everyone dead; hidden, he witnesses the Moyngo ceremony performed by the spirits of the dead.

“Teco: El Niño Mojeño” (Teco: The Mojeño Boy)

Ruben Machado Navia, Bolivia, Winner Experimental Category

Teco, a small boy, mysteriously knows the history of his people after conversing with the spirits of the forest, sun and moon.