Private Project

Meraya

An intercultural film project that shows the visionary world of Meraya doctors, who are Shipibo-Konibo sages. The documentary introduces the viewer to the intimacy of the Peruvian Amazon, to the wisdom of forests and plants, and to the healing experience with ayawaska, which is also part of today's Shipibo-Konibo culture. It is visual anthropology from a poetic standpoint and with video art techniques. Meraya intertwines fundamental art and everyday practices of the Shipibo civilization: kené patterns and textile craft, and an understanding and profound respect for the forest and its beings (earthly and spiritual). These elements relate to equilibrium and to the ordered beauty of connecting.

  • Pedro Favaron
    Director
    Yo soy el bosque, among others
  • Adrián Portugal
    Director of photography
    Rodar contra todo
  • Adrián Portugal
    Camera
  • Marcio Pérez
    Camera
  • Rodrigo Luque
    Camera
  • Gonzalo Schuppli
    Camera
  • Marcio Pérez
    Assistant camera
  • Luis Villena
    Sound engineer
  • Fred Clarke Álvarez
    Musical arrangements and compositions
  • Leonilda Huayta Pangoza
    Chants
  • Chonon Bensho
    Kené designs
  • Panshin Same
    Kené designs
  • Irene Arce
    Producer
    Dialogo/Chichasmi
  • Rodrigo Luque
    Editor
  • Adrián Portugal
    Colorization
  • Rodrigo Luque
    Colorization
  • Fred Clarke Álvarez
    Sound editor
  • Pablo Cruz Gastelumendi
    Graphic design
  • Leonilda Huayta
    Key Cast
  • Chonon Bensho
    Key Cast
  • Raúl Lima
    Key Cast
  • Dirección Desconcentrada de Cultura- Ucayali
    Sponsors
  • Embajada de la República Argentina en el Perú
    Sponsors
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Meraya
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Experimental, Short
  • Genres:
    Visual anthropology, Ecopoetry
  • Runtime:
    31 minutes 58 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 25, 2019
  • Country of Origin:
    Peru
  • Country of Filming:
    Peru
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital Full HD
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Distribution Information
  • Mirada Libre
    Country: Peru
    Rights: Video / Disc
Director Biography - Pedro Favaron

Favaron obtained his PhD in Literature from the University of Montréal, Canada. He received a master’s degree in Communications and Culture from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and is a B.A. in Communications and Journalism from Lima’s Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas (UPC). In 2016 he worked as professor and head of the Research Department in Ucayali National University. Communicator, researcher, writer, and poet, Favaron has authored several books (such as Puka Allpa and Las visiones y los mundos) and has also produced and participated in performances, theater pieces, radio shows, and video art. Favaron has specialized in the study and understanding of Andean and Amazonian cultures, and today lives and works in Peru’s Ucayali Region.

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Director Statement

Meraya promotes the recognition of the Shipibo-Konibo nation as part of Peru's cultural diversity. Peru will commemorate 200 years as a republic in 2021 and there are still many difficulties in embracing its multicultural legacy. Today, there are 47 languages in Peru: 4 of them are Andean and the rest are Amazonian. However, a century ago, there were almost 90. This trend toward the annihilation of indigenous cultures will continue unless there are productions in native languages that raise awareness and open spaces for visibilization. In line with ancestral spirituality, Meraya highlights the great wisdom of indigenous women and seeks to impact positively on societal perceptions in Peru, where women are often mistreated. Meraya is an ecopoetic narrative that emanates from within a culture; it does not want to impose a Eurocentric reading, but it rather seeks the free expression of the myriad wisdom of the Shipibo-Konibo.