Spirit Songs
A feature documentary on Amazonian songs and lore.
In our last journey to the Peruvian Amazon we were fortunate to study with herbalist James Duke, the Bora tribe, and veteran curanderos: Cesar Panduro, Golbert, and Don Juan Tangoa Paima. It was a productive beginning to our feature documentary and archive of shamanic songs. Since our return we have cut two shorts for Current (see below).
Spirit Songs is currently seeking funding. We are fiscally sponsored by Documentary Educational Resource and all donations are tax deductible. To donate go to der.org/donate and look for Icaros: Spirit Songs of the Amazon.
World-renowned ethnobotanist, Jim Duke, measures herbs against pharmaceuticals and reflects on a lifetime of plant medicine research, including his work with the U.S.D.A. and traditional healers of the Amazon.
Icaros: Spirit Songs of the Amazon
Traditional Amazonian healers or curanderos, communicate with plants through lullabies, known as Icaros. These songs have been described as the "quintessence of shamanic power."
Knock Knock, America: A Story of Refugee Teens in St. Louis
This feature documentary follows six IPG members through their daily lives and the production of their original play "Big Tree." Joseph strives to get into college and return to his country with a degree. Junior gets lost in the poor communication of the city's justice system. Not understanding the customs and language can create a barricade that some of them masterfully hurdle over, while others get tangled in the red tape.
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A collaboration of inner mission productions and loaf-i productions. FFFF is a traveling media arts festival. Events include: shorts and features across all genres, live music and multimedia performance, and installation. We are a continuously touring festival without beginnings or endings.
For tour info click here.
At Highest Risk: Maternal Healthcare in the High Peruvian Andes
The solutions to South AmericaÕs second highest maternal death rates are not easy when both the Andean traditions and international political pressure are so strong. ÊPeru has one of the highest proportions of indigenous inhabitants in the Americas, roughly 50 percent.
The U.S. government commissioned Rebecca Rivas to research maternal health care in the high Peruvian Andes. The question that guided her study was: is there a bridge between traditional and institutional birth?
For more information click here