In March-April, 2015, we traveled to Manú National Park biosphere reserve in Peru to begin filming a documentary about isolated indigenous communities of Machiguenga (Matsiguenga) people living in the Amazon rainforest along Manú and Madre de Dios rivers. Guided by two local shamans, we visited several native communities and spoke to their elders about ongoing conflicts they face with petroleum and mining companies who continuously impose illegal takeovers of their land. The deeper we traveled into the rainforest, the more we could appreciate the indigenous tribe members’ intricate connection with nature and their tremendous knowledge of Amazon rainforest medicine plants. Sadly, we also understood that this ancient legacy of knowledge is under unprecedented threat of being wiped out from human consciousness and we hope that by making our film we can raise awareness and together find solutions to help prevent this loss. As we work on editing the first trailer of our film, here’s a little photo-glimpse into the journey.
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