Project Description

“Between Two Worlds” is a collaboration between the filmmaker, Ariel Lopez Segovia, the Mapuche community of the Lago Budi area of Chile, and the US-based NGO Pachamama Conservation, which for the past 7 years has been working closely with women artisans to preserve their traditional craft, building deep relationships with Mapuche elders and youth, as well as elected leaders and support organizations.

Our proposal is to produce a documentary video on the Mapuche culture of Chile focusing on the testimonies and experiences of the elders and the youth of today. Over the past 7 years Pachamama Conservation has been building relationships with Mapuche elders and youth. Funded by a $20,000 pre-production grant from the Paul Robeson Fund for Independent Media, the filmmaker and production team made two trips to the Lago Budi region and recorded over 50 hours of video footage including dozens of interviews with Mapuche spiritual and political leaders such as the vibrant mayor of Tirua Adolfo Millabur, the celebrated poet Elicura Chihuailaf, and community elders and youths.

These interviews tell the story of a people fighting to preserve their traditions in the face of multiple challenges from the modern world. These challenges have led the elders to hold on to their traditional ways, and preserve the songs, language, poems and stories about their culture. The youth have different stories to tell. They dream of better education and strive for a different life—and attempt to accomplish this through attending schools many miles from their remote communities. For the youths as well as the elders, their experience is a struggle between two worlds.

The themes that will be covered in the documentary are:

Mapuche Spirituality
History and Culture
Preservation of the Culture and Language
Threats to the Culture
Hope for the Future and the Youth

The quality and length of the footage are sufficient to move the project into the post-production stage. Currently we are seeking funding for the editing, sound design, and distribution stages of the video.

Between Two Worlds is the first documentary about the Mapuche people produced for an English-language audience. All interviews are in the Mapuche language Mapudungun or in Spanish, with English narration and subtitles.

This documentary will be used to inform Pachamama Conservation supporters and others about the traditional ways of the Mapuche people, the feelings and needs of the youth in a changing world. It will be a way for the Mapuche to share their culture with the outside world, raise consciousness about traditional ways of life and their current struggles. Our hope is that this video will inform and inspire its viewers to support the cultural survival of the Mapuche people in the face of corporate globalization.

Upon completion of the video, we will present it to Pachamama supporters and others to build more grassroots support for the Mapuche struggle against corporate globalization. We will also submit the video to film festivals across the country to raise awareness beyond the San Francisco Bay Area. Additionally, we would like to produce a Spanish version of the video to screen in Chile and other Latin American countries. With additional contacts, funding and support, Pachamama Conservation can channel more resources to the Mapuche so that they can challenge the forces of corporate globalization and continue to live in their traditional ways.