Discoveries from Peru World Cinema

The only and unfinished feature film made by Manuel Chambi with his students from the University of Lima.

The danzaq, or scissor dancer, from Ayacucho, Huancavelica, or Apurimac, is the only dancer in the Americas into whose body, according to legend, a magical spirit enters: the Wamani, god of the mountains, water, or air. In the counterpoint dances performed at major festivals, it is not two men who confront each other, but rather two earth gods, accompanied by the music of the harp and violin, which represent all the sounds of nature. Its origins date back to the pre-Columbian era, when certain privileged men were chosen by their fellow men to represent them.

Short film.

Documentary.

Inca Garcilaso de la Vega (1539-1616), already settled in Spain, recalls his life in ancient Cusco, defines his identity and his attachment to the land of his mother and where he was also born, incorporating into his name the title of his Inca lineage.

Dynamics and order of the bricklayers carrying out a construction job with cement and bricks.

Documentary photo about the life and work of the famous Cuzco photographer Martín Chambi (1891-1973), using his own work.

Education through theatre by mimes Juan Piqueras and Carmen de Piqueras.

First short film by Armando Robles Godoy. Unfinished short film of dubious technical quality.

Visual artists from different parts of Peru have come together to transform the walls of the town square of Luricocha, a town nestled in the Ayacucho Andes, to create colorful murals with brushstrokes of paint that represent the festive, religious, and folkloric calendar. In a context where these manifestations are scarce and absent, these artists have a single goal: to sow art and culture.

An intimate and reflective video poem that addresses intergenerational trauma through a personal exploration of family migration across multiple generations. Inspired by the astrological symbolism of Chiron in the 4th house.

This story tells the life of Monsignor Friedrich Kaiser, a German missionary who came to Peru at the beginning of World War II. He carried out a great evangelizing mission among the poor and needy in the Peruvian Andes. These religious sisters carried out missions where there were no priests. They were present in Peru in the most remote places such as Rosaspata-Huancané, Cañaris-Chiclayo, Codo del Pozuzo-Huánuco, Haquira-Apurímac, Villa Canaria-Ayacucho, among other cities and countries such as Santa Fe in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, and Bolivia.

A toy tries to make sense of the violent behaviors that surround him as he is manipulated by an unseen puppeteer.

A man threatens the boy who stole his toy.

A director must carry out a shoot with a sudden change of crew and a wonderful actor who doesn't understand.

Appropriated YouTube footage about the deal between FAME SAC (the Peruvian Army's Arms and Ammunition Factory) and IWI (Israel Weapon Industries). Situationist (?) practice through which the dominant discourse is used against itself.

Short film depicting the social unrest in Peru following December 7, 2022. Through poetry, archival footage, and testimonies, it highlights state repression and popular resistance against the civil-military dictatorship.

Chefcito, a lonely chef, finds a new purpose when he takes Nemo, a young man who has been given up on, under his wing. However, faced with the threat of Mayor Beto Anchoveto and the stalking of his dark alter ego, he must decide between clinging to hope or succumbing to despair.

Paris 2007. Elsa, a Peruvian trans woman, is serving a sentence in a men's prison. Sergio, a detainee, makes her his sex slave. Furthermore, the administration refuses her hormone treatment. When Elsa is released, she begins a new life and meets Yena, a young Korean woman who introduces her to Aymeric, her French husband. The attraction between Elsa and him is lightning-fast, calling into question her sexual identity. However, the final obstacle is Sergio. He has just escaped from prison.

An un-conventional(?) journey through the quieter, everyday streets of London, far from typical tourist spots, on a double-decker bus. This video blends personal and public reflections inspired by Peruvian writers(?), offering philosophical insights that connect London's corners (lol) with cultural legacies from Peru (omg). June 22: #FlavioVelasquez June 11: #FelipePardoyAliaga June 14: #JoseCarlosMariategui June 23: #ManuelAscencioSegura June 30: #AuroraColinaPareja

In the middle of a hard decision and grief, a young woman comes back to her first habitat. She feels and recognizes her deep connection to many women in that symbolic place. Hold by all of them she continues walking to transform her fear and navigate new horizons.

Lucila leads a quiet life at home until her granddaughter Elizabeth arrives in search of temporary refuge due to problems with her mother. As Lucila takes Elizabeth in, she discovers the complexity of the bond that unites them, and they find the nuances that reflect their own identities.

Documentary about a land seizure of a camp called Fidel Castro. The protagonists are interviewed and the facts are recorded.

A boy meets a stranger in the park. At home, he faces the reality of a dead-end relationship. His girlfriend reads a book that makes him fantasize about his destiny

Six anonymous testimonies reflecting on their experiences in religious educational institutions and how these have affected their perception of faith and religion today.

A girl and a grandmother reflect on a dream in the Peruvian Amazon. They develop a deeper connection.

The creative journey of Mimy & Tony, a remarkable mother-son duo. From Mimy's humble beginnings as a singer to her resurgence on 'La Voz Perú, ' this documentary showcases their collaborative Grammy nominated album.

An old gardener goes out to dig up dirt on a Holy Thursday morning. During his excavation, he discovers the remains of his son who disappeared three weeks ago, taking them home with him. Meanwhile, the murderer, the young owner of a hotel with a swimming pool, serves his clients without any apparent concern. In a town without water and that lives off tourism, this is an open secret that the citizens and the authorities are willing to keep quiet. During the following days of Holy Week, the gardener and the hotel owner will be pushed by guilt and revenge until they come face to face.

The story is divided into two chapters. The murder of a teenager brings together two police officers. Their differences and the religious obsession of the younger one open a conflict apart from the investigation. The second episode follows the search for a businessman, Andrade, who suffers from a deadly virus with no cure. Desperate, Andrade seeks out Belisario, who puts him in contact with a suspicious doctor. The latter promises a miraculous cure with human fetuses. The plot raises how the tragic fate of the teenager crosses and connects these divided worlds. He ends up being cannibalized, constructing a cruel metaphor with obvious social resonances.

Sofía is a reserved and quiet girl, one day she receives an invitation to eat at her friend Emma's house. At first everything seems normal, but little by little everything becomes more uncomfortable and strange. Sofía begins to question the morality of what is happening at the meeting. Sofía will enter into a dilemma, whether or not what she is doing is worth it in order to fit in with her new group of friends.

This short-film is the first production of Cine Club Cusco, directed by Manuel Chambi and filmed in 16 mm on reversible film. It is a visual tour of the religious festival in Cusco of Corpus Christi.

In 1963, the poet Rodrigo Machado, along with four other guerrilla fighters, crosses the Amazon jungle on a daring mission to obtain supplies.

The documentary offers an in-depth look at the dance scene, exploring how this art form has evolved from its roots in New York's LGBT community to become a form of artistic and cultural expression that unites people of all identities and orientations. Vogue, language of freedom, is a call to action to create a society that is more inclusive and above all able to embrace differences. Art can be a powerful tool for acceptance, and how belonging to a community can transform lives.

YAGÉ, a travel journal from Peru that works with the question of memory via the degeneration of video images. An exploration of a hallucinatory space constructed from visual and aural debris. The figure of the endlessly flowing image is simultaneously a visual leitmotif that speaks to the passage of time as well as a reflection on the nature of images as deformed mirrors of reality. The soundtrack, created by the composer Méryll Ampe, responds to the piece by producing dream spaces out of electronic and acoustic materials on the limit of erasure.

Ten years after one of the most devastating spills in the Peruvian jungle, which occurred in June 2014, the population of Cuninico (Loreto) denounces continuing to suffer from various diseases. Immersed in the daily life of the community, this documentary reveals, through an in-depth investigation, the violation of indigenous rights due to insufficient access to health and drinking water, despite having won a landmark court ruling.

Josefina is a frustrated young woman who revives her passion for dancing before the event that changed her destiny.

Filmed during the Brooklyn Museum's Peruvian Littoral Expedition, 1919-1920. Robert Cushman Murphy, who was then a curator of the Department of Natural Science at the Brooklyn Museum, led this expedition and narrates the film. The expedition went to study the guano-producing birds on several Peruvian islands, including the islands of Santa Rosa. Some of the footage in this film was purchased from the National Guano Administration of Peru.

Odisea will do everything possible to obtain oxygen for his mother. A journey full of challenges, courage, and determination.

Claudia expresses the insecurity caused by years of bullying in her childhood and questions her integration into an intolerant society.