»Nunkui is a story of resistance that emerges from the female practice of tending the garden and honouring the spirits of the Earth. I want to portray the beauty and the pain that comes with growing up […] in a hostile world and in the fight for territory.» Verenice Benítez

It is a lush green world with a fascinating soundscape. In the twilight, they pick maize cobs and laugh with their grandfather about city folk who have never seen an armadillo and eat with dainty fingers. »You only say that so we won’t leave,» giggles Nunkui. »but I want to study in Quito«. The 13-year-old lives in a Shuar community with her extended family. An estimated 110,000 indigenous Shuar live in around 650 communities in the Amazon lowlands. Nunkui is also the name of the female spirit said to live beneath the orchards. The older women call on her through magical songs, asking her to provide for their families. Their animist belief in the coexistence of human and non-human beings stands in stark contrast to the Western view of the earth as inert matter. The community now faces the very real threat of displacement, as Ecuador’s government pushes forward the exploitation of its natural resources. Nunkui’s grandfather Yaunchu – played by well-known Shuar leader and activist, Domingo Ankuash – fights to defend the territory and explains to her the complex contradictions of the world today. With surreal elements and a wonderful cast of non-professional actors, the director gently interweaves Nunkui’s coming-of-age with urgent social and ecological issues.

Guest: Verenice Benítez

European premiere

With the support of Goethe Institut