Guests of Space explores the encounter between the Nukak Maku people and the white man in 1988. Known as the last nomads to be contacted in South America, this film observes the collision of two alien worlds.
This is my thesis film for my MA in Documentary Filmmaking at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.
SINOPSIS/
Guests of Space explores the first encounter between the Nukak Maku people and the white man in 1988. “We were very afraid of the white men because we thought that they were cannibals,” says Kirari, the tribe’s oldest man. Known as the last nomads to be contacted in South America, the Nukak Maku have lived a nomadic existence in the tropical forests of Southern Colombia for centuries. But today the Amazon lands that sustain the tribe are being overrun by Colombia’s drug war and the Nukak have been forced to relocate outside their territory. This film observes the collision of two alien worlds where settlers, missionaries, armed groups and Colombia’s drug war unexpectedly meet and confront.
AWARDS/
2010 Jury Special Mention for the Best Documentary at the Festival de Cinema de Girona.
2010 North Gate Documentary Prize given by the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.
CREDITS/
Produced, Shot, and Edited by Alba Mora Roca
Sound Recordist Betty Bastidas
Production Assistants Carlos Dávalos Barbabosa, Gustavo Posada, Dany Mahecha and Jana Montllor.
Creative Advisors Jon Else and Jean-Philippe Boucicaut
Technical Advisors Kean Sakata and Karen Everett
Ethnographic Advisor Dany Mahecha
Graphics Scott Nolan
Archival Sources Personal photo archive Dany Mahecha and Carlos Franky, Compañía de Informaciones Audiovisuales, AVC Rainbow, RCN TV News Colombia, Iglesia Cristiana Nuevos Horizontes
Translations Manuel Nukak, Mónica Nukak and Joaquín Nukak.
Special Thanks Sally Andrea Mahecha Zabaleta, Consuelo Becerra, Albeiro Riaño, Gonzalo Cocomá Arciniegas, Indira Pinilla, Leo Bejarano, Enric Cassú, Maria Alejandra Pautassi, Distribuidora Don Julio, Richard Koci Hernández, Andrés Cediel, Mostra Audiovisuales Colombia, Jean Christophe Lamy.
Made Possible in Part By A Grant From: Margaret and Will Hearst, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and Obra Social “la Caixa”Produced in the Graduate School of Journalism, University of California, Berkeley.
FESTIVALS/
Mill Valley Film Festival -33th Edition, Annual from October 07, 2010 to October 17, 2010. San Francisco, California, USA.
Festival Internacional de Cine de Morelia–8th Edition, Annual from October 16th to 24th 2010. Morelia, Michoacán, México.
International Festival of Sustainable Development Films Ekotopfilm-37th Edition, Anual, October 11-15, Bratislava, Slovakia.
Kassel Documentary Film Festival – 27 Edition, Annual, from November 9 to 14, 2010, Kassel, Germany, Europe.
Globians Doc Fest Stuttgart -November 12th – 14th, 2010, Stuttgart, Germany.
2010 Anchorage International Film Festival (AIFF) – December 2010, Anchorage, Alaska.
Ethnographic Film Festival of Quebec – -January 28th and Febrary 4th 2011, Chicoutimi, Québec, Canada.
Tartu Festival of Visual Culture – Wednesday March 23rd 2011, Tartu, Estonia, Europe.
Docudays – 8th International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival – March 25—31, 2011 in Kiev, Ukraine.
SPECS./
PRODUCTION COUNTRY SPAIN, U.S.A., MEXICO Filming Country: Colombia
DATE OF COMPLETION: May 2010
RUNNING TIME: 26 MIN
DIALOG: ORIGINAL Main Dialog in Spanish and Nukak.
TRANSLATIONS English and Spanish subtitles.
PICTURE Color
FORMAT 1.78 (16×9 VIDEO)
SHOOTING HD NTSC
EXHIBITION HDCAM, DVD Region 0, MiniDV, .MOV (Quicktime)
HD FRAME RATES 1080/24P
SOUND Stereo
SCREENERS AVAILABLE FOR FESTIVALS AND INDUSTRY PREVIEWS IN SEVERAL FORMATS BY REQUEST