New Film "Inia Ikiampri" (Our Jungle) to Make World Premiere at the 34th International First Peoples' Festival Présence Autochtone, Montreal, Canada

A thriving Indigenous community in the Ecuadorian Amazon clings to tradition and connections to land while preparing for an uncertain future.

SEATTLE, Aug. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- We are thrilled to announce that "Inia Ikiampri" (Our Jungle) is an official selection for the 34th International First Peoples' Festival Présence Autochtone, which is taking place August 6 to 15, 2024, in Montreal, Canada. The film will be screened on August 10 at 2 pm.

Directed by Martín Kingman in close collaboration with community members, "Inia Ikiampri" portrays the Achuar people's daily lives. It follows members of the Kapawi community in Achuar Territory in the Ecuadorian Amazon Basin, exploring themes of land, language, and culture at the intersection of tradition and modernity. 

"We worked closely with the Kapawi community so that the audience discovers and connects with the beauty, hope, and strength of the Achuar culture and territory in the Ecuadorian Amazon," said Kingman.

This short documentary demonstrates the profound relationship the Achuar people have with their culture, the jungle, the river, and their way of life. The film also explores the paradox of their immense cultural potential and contribution to forest conservation, in contrast to current challenges imposed on them, like deforestation, mineral extraction, and cultural changes. 

"Inia Ikiampri" is a story of resistance, perseverance, and the intrinsic reciprocity the Achuar share with their vital rainforest and river territory.

The production is part of a series of films created by the Wayfinders Circle – a global network of Indigenous peoples from around the world who work to strengthen self-determination in managing their lands and territories and maintain cultural and spiritual continuity through intergenerational transmission.

It is a co-production between the Wayfinders Circle conveners (Nia Tero, Pawanka Fund, the World Union of Indigenous Spiritual Practitioners) and the Achuar Nation of Ecuador.

You can attend the world premiere in person on August 10 at 2 pm. Tickets can be purchased online.

Learn more about the film.

SOURCE Nia Tero