Eskawata Kayawai: The Spirit of Transformation

  • 8.5 10
  • 2023
  • 70min
Eskawata Kayawai: The Spirit of Transformation
  • Original Title: Eskawata Kayawai: O Espírito da Transformação

Filmed over seven years in the heart of the Amazon, this documentary immerses viewers in the cultural and spiritual renaissance of the Huni Kuin community of Novo Futuro Village. Through their sacred forest medicine, ayahuasca, and ancestral rituals, the film reveals how this Indigenous people reclaimed their traditions, identity, and harmony with nature after centuries of cultural suppression.

Eskawata Kayawai: The Spirit of Transformation
Awards

AWARDS

Construir Cine Film Festival - Special Award
Festival De Cine Latino Americano - Best Documentary Award
Outerbank Film Festival - Best Documentary Science and Spirituality
World Culture Film Festival - Best Documentary Feature Film
Festival El Cine Suma Paz - Best Environmental Film
Human-Environment Care Film Festival (HECFF) - Best Cultural Diversity Film
Festival International du Film Chamanique - Best Film, Jury Prize
Nebrodi Cinema Doc Film Festival - Best Documentary Film
Nebrodi Cinema Doc Film Festival - Best Environmental Documentary Film
International Multicultural Film Festival - Best Documentary Film
Festival Internacional de Cine Austral - Cultural Representation
Madonie Film Festival - Best Culture Film
Pueblo Film Festival - Best Culture Film
EthnoKino Film Festival - Recognition Award

 

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

Construir Cine Film Festival - Special Award
27th Inffinito Brazilian Film Festival
BOOM Festival
SCINEMA International Science Film Festival
Festival De Cine Latino Americano - Best Documentary Award
Festival Cine Luso Espirito Mundo
Outerbank Film Festival - Best Documentary Science and Spirituality
Garifuna International Indigenous Film Festival
Festival de Cine y Derechos Humanos
Colorado Environmental Film Festival
Bangalow Film Festival
Mostra Brasil Circuito Inffinito
Axapusco International Film Festival
Festival Internacional de Cinema de Santarém
Mostra Eu Mais Velha
Festival de Cinema Vale de Guadalupe - Nominated
World Culture Film Festival - Best Documentary Feature Film
Mostra Ecofalante de Cinema
Aporia International Village Film Festival
Festival El Cine Suma Paz - Best Environmental Film
Contra el Silencio Todas las Voces
Human-Environment Care Film Festival (HECFF) - Best Cultural Diversity Film
Festival International du Film Chamanique - Best Film, Jury Prize
Nebrodi Cinema Doc Film Festival - Best Documentary Film, Best Environmental Documentary Film
BANGIFF - BangkokThai International Film Festival
International Multicultural Film Festival - Best Documentary Film
Festival Itinerante de Cine Comunitario de la Tierra (FICCTerra) - Finalist
China International Conference of Science and Education - Finalist
Festival Internacional de Cine Austral - Cultural Representation
Madonie Film Festival - Best Culture Film
Fiorenzo Serra Film Festival
Mediawave International Film and Music Festival
Social Justice Film Festival
Pueblo Film Festival - Best Culture Film
V Encuentro Audiovisual Tejiendo Redes Bioculturales
YVY - Festival de Cinema Ambiental e de Montanhas de Teresópolis
Ray of Light - Nominee
Música em Foco - Nominee
Planeta DOC
EthnoKino Film Festival - Recognition Award
Congresso Internacional: Território, Direito e Natureza
Ethnovideographic Film Festival
World Culture Festival 2025

A seven-year journey into the spiritual and cultural rebirth of the Huni Kuin people

Directed by Lara Jacoski and Patrick Belem, this 70-minute documentary offers a deeply human and spiritual portrayal of the Huni Kuin people, whose journey from cultural suppression to revival stands as a testament to resilience and connection with the natural world. Filmed over seven years in the remote Novo Futuro Village, at the heart of the Amazon, the film captures the reawakening of a community through its sacred forest medicine, ayahuasca, and the renewal of rituals, music, and collective memory.

The directors’ approach is rooted in coexistence and respect. Before filming, they lived alongside the Huni Kuin, participating in their daily lives, songs, and ceremonies to capture an intimate and truthful depiction of their reality. The result is a film that goes beyond documentation, evoking a sensory experience that celebrates the beauty, simplicity, and spiritual depth of Indigenous life.

Featuring community leaders such as Ninawa Pai da Mata and produced by Bem-te-vi Productions, the film also benefits from international collaboration with Joakim Hauge, Oona Chaplin, Alex Moreno, and Torstein Grude. Beyond its visual splendour, the film serves as a call to rediscover ancestral values and the possibility of living in balance with ourselves, our roots, and the planet.

Widely acclaimed across the world, the documentary has been honoured with numerous awards, including Best Cultural Diversity Film at the Human-Environment Care Film Festival, Best Film at the Festival International du Film Chamanique, and Recognition Award at the EthnoKino Film Festival in Switzerland.

 

Lara Jaoski
Lara Jaoski Director
Patrick Belem
Patrick Belem Director

Production Companies

BTV Productions

Hinterland.Co


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