This is the story of a native people from Brazil living in the deep western Amazon, returning to their ancestral and spiritual way of life by getting in touch with their own culture and identity.

Experience a 70+ minute documentary depicting the resurgence of the Huni Kuin's indigenous culture and spiritual practices through their engagement with their sacred forest medicine of ayahuasca.

Spanning 7 years, this project takes viewers to the Huni Kuin Village Novo Futuro in the heart of the Amazon. The film captures the revival of their culture and spirituality through ceremonies, rituals, cultural customs, music, and interviews with various community leaders representing different demographics, offering insights into their lives and experiences with their tradition.

Synopsis: In the heart of the Amazon Rainforest, the Huni Kuin people underwent a profound renaissance of their identity. After enduring decades of slavery, massacres, and cultural suppression, their resurgence began in 2000. Two decades later, they're thriving at a cultural peak, rediscovering and embracing their true heritage.

Directed by Lara Jacoski and Patrick Belem, the film is produced by Bem-te-vi Productions in collaboration with figures like Ninawa Pai da Mata (Spiritual leader of Novo Futuro Village) and Marcos Vinicius Romão (Co-Organizer of the Festival Eskawatã Kayawai). Co-produced by Joakim Hauge from Norway, with Executive Production involvement from Oona Chaplin and Alex Moreno from the US, alongside Torstein Grude from Norway.

The film premiered in MAPS23 the biggest science psychedelic conference in the world (Denver-US) being accepted in the following year and a half in more than 43 festivals in 20 countries, receiving 14 awards so far. The film had a 4 long month tour with 45 screenings in Europe (partnership with Saravá Foundation) and USA (partnership with Chacruna Institute and Global Psychedelic Society) in 37 cities, plus another 21 screenings all over the world and 10 screenings in indigenous territories in Brazil. The two years independent distribution reached 100l+ people and 110 official in person screenings.

Themes: Documentary, Indigenism, Ethnographic, Spirituality, Original Peoples, First Nation, Decolonization, Memory, Culture, Identity, Community, Ritual, Nature, Amazon, Ecology, Regeneration, Huni Kuin, Ayahuasca, Alternative medicines, Resumption, Peace

"This film encapsulates the essence of a specific region while echoing the broader reality of Brazil's indigenous communities. The Huni Kuin have faced profound challenges since the arrival of colonizers, enduring restrictions on their traditional lifestyle, language, and sustenance.

Having weathered years of cultural suppression and subjugation, the Huni Kuin experienced a spiritual awakening, reconnecting with their heritage and reclaiming their cultural identity. This resurgence marked a transformative shift, propelling them into an era defined by indigenous rights and cultural renaissance. Today, they embody a harmonious existence with nature, sharing their ancestral wisdom—a worldview rooted in nature and ancestors—which not only fosters personal healing but also extends its healing influence to the wider world.

Through this film, we aim to convey a message of hope and illumination, showcasing the remarkable journey of a community that, within two decades of dedicated effort, rediscovered its core values and found its center. It serves as a beacon, not only for other indigenous communities reclaiming their lands but also as a universal call for society to reconnect with its own roots and values, fostering harmony within ourselves, our shared humanity, and the planet."

- Directors Lara Jacoski & Patrick Belem

A BTV PRODUCTION

Since 2012, crafting ethnographic documentaries across five continents, focusing in the Americas, specialising in ethnographic documentaries that capture ancestral cultures and diverse world-views that has a close relationship to the natural laws. Their journey, driven by a commitment to studying, researching, and documenting generational wisdom, has introduced them to remarkable individuals and guardians of traditions. From the heights of the Peruvian mountains to the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, and from the deserts of India to the mystic lagoons of Guatemala, meeting representatives who embody oral traditions and safeguard collective history. BTV offers the structure of a bridge that works to support its preservation and perpetuation of true values that support life in its full meaning by creating multicultural projects that transcend language barriers, revealing the intrinsic beauty and authenticity of human cultures and individuals embracing their genuine narratives.

Projects from Bem-te-vi Produções have garnered support from UNESCO, the Ministry of Culture of Brazil, the Secretary of Culture of Paraná, Brazilian Content, Cinema Paradiso, and Cinema do Brasil. Collaborations include work with acclaimed filmmakers Torstein Grude ("Act Of Killing") and Oona Chaplin ("Avatar 2"). Their films have been exhibited worldwide, featured in numerous international festivals, winning awards, and showcased at events, congresses, universities and local and indigenous land exhibitions.

In short, Bem-te-vi projects bring the expression of traditional peoples with signs of their own language and understanding of the world, at the bringing a multicultural language, connecting with global issues where every people and population can identify, remember and reflect.