Producers and Distributors

Apoyo Para el Campesino Indígena del Oriente Boliviano (APCOB)

Calle Cuatro Ojos #80
Villa San Luis
Casilla Postal 4213
Santa Cruz de la Sierra – Bolivia
Teléfonos: (+591) 3 – 3542119; (+591) 3 – 3542120; (+591) 3 – 3539954
Fax : (+591) 3 – 3542120 internal: 107
Vide and Radio Section E-mail: video@apcob.org.bo
Requests for catalog: apcobibl@entelnet.bo
Website: http://www.apcob.org.bo/videos.htm
APCOB is a non-governmental organization that works on sustainable development projects with lowland Bolivian indigenous groups. One of its components produces documentaries about indigenous cultures of the Amazon in indigenous languages with translation to Spanish. Their productions include over 35 documentaries. APCOB’s Documentation Center includes a video collection of 1,500 titles. Although no pricing information is available, there is an e-mail link for purchasing videos.
ChileCine: Una Ventana al Mundo Audiovisual Chileno – ProChile
E-mail: aalaluf@prochile.cl
Website: http://www.chilecine.cl/espanol/index.php
ProChile is a cultural promotion initiative that, among other things, maintains an online catalog of films produced in Chile. Among the indigenous titles included are four documentaries: Ahinam Chay: Así es esta Historia directed by Rodrigo Sepulveda, a bilingual (Quechua/Spanish) documentary that discusses gender, sexual relationships and the aspirations of an indigenous community in Cuzco, Peru; Un Viaje en el Uro Aruma: El Día Aymara by Hernin Dinamarca, a video which documents the discussion between a Western scientist and an Aymara woman as they visit the Chilean altiplano; Raíz de Chile Mapuche Aymara by David Benavente which deals with the major indigenous groups in Chile; and La Historia de Blanca y su Mágica Tierra de Agua by Angeles Nuño, where the protagonist discusses Mapuche life and legends. Contains distributor information.
Chirapaq: Centro de Culturas Indias
Av. Horacio Urteaga
Jesús María
Lima 11 PERU
Telefax: 51-1-4232757
E-mails: warmi@chirapaq.org.pe / ayllu@chirapaq.org.pe
Website: http://www.chirapaq.org.pe/
Chirapaq is a non-profit organization which supports instructional, training and development projects for indigenous people in Peru. Chirapaq members are listed among the participants in a regional Latin American filmmaking workshop in Iquique in 2002 and the organization has produced radio programs and videos. Videos listed on their website include three documentaries: Mi Vida al Infinito which tells the story of 115 year old indigenous elder Tayta Ciprian; Del Silencio a la Palabra which discusses the experiences of women in Chirapaq and the Permanent Forum; and Nuestros Cuentos a collection of three traditional children’s stories.
Cine Ojo Films & Video
Lavalle 1619 3ro. E / CP (1048)
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Telephone/Fax: 5411 4373 8208
E-mail: cineojo@cineojo.com.ar
Website: http://www.cineojo.com.ar/
Cine Ojo produces Una Sola Voz, an exclusive video documentary about an indigenous assembly on land reform in Argentina by Carmen Guarini and Marcelo Céspedes.
CONACULTA/IMCINE Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografía
Susana Lopez Aranda, Subdirectora de Promoción y Distribución Internacional
IMCINE. Insurgentes Sur 674
Del Valle, México City 03100
Telephone: (5255) 54485339, (5255) 54485337
Fax: (5255) 54485380
E-mail: promint@imcine.gob.mx
Website: http://www.imcine.gob.mx/marcos/base_promo.html
Online catalog includes various indigenous films, including Ariel-winning Chenalhó, el Corazón de los Altos by Isabel Fregoso, which documents indigenous people in Chiapas living in a state of combat and forced migration; Santo Luzbel by Miguel Sabido which deals with a culture clash between priests, a cacique and a group of indigenous people (who have a particular way of re-enacting the “Fall of Lucifer”); and Vera by Francisco Athié, a feature film about an indigenous miner and his vision of the universe as seen through Mayan cosmology (in Mayan with English subtitles).

Documentary Educational Resources
Website: http://www.der.org/
Distributes several films on natives peoples from North and South America which are listed here.

Ethnoscope: Multicultural Films and Videos
PO Box 92353
Rochester, NY 14692
585-442-5274
E-mail: mail@docfilm.com
Website: http://www.docfilm.com/
Director Bruce “Pacho” Lane has produced 6 documentaries on Mexican indigenous cultures which deal with politics, education, dance and mythology.
Etnias de Colombia
E-mail: info@etniasdecolombia.org
Website: http://www.etniasdecolombia.org/
This website is run by a group of professionals and scholars who are involved in cultural research; design social, cultural and development projects; and provide training in television and radio. The Audiovisuales section maintains an online catalog that includes 88 videos on different indigenous groups in Colombia. Each record includes a synopsis and producer (though no contact information).
Filmakers Library
124 East 40th Street,
New York, NY 10016
Phone: 212-808-4980
Fax: 212-808-4983
E-mail: info@filmakers.com
Website: http://www.filmakers.com/
Most titles in the Filmakers Library are picked up by LAVA (except for “Sentinels of the Earth) but I am including it in this list because they are proactive in including study guides for certain titles, which may be of use to scholars and librarians.

Four Winds Indian Books

Huaorani Films Pilot Project – One Sky Productions 
Scott Braman
Cultural Survival
215 Prospect St.
Cambridge, MA 02139
Telephone: 617-441-5400
E-mail: Scott.C.Braman.99@Alum.Dartmouth.ORG
Website: http://www.culturalsurvival.org/special_projects/americas/onesky.cfm
One Sky Productions provides equipment, training, production and editing assistance for Huaorani filmmakers in Ecuador. This website mentions video footage, but it is not clear if any edited films have already been produced and distributed; e-mails were not responded.
Latin American Video Archive (LAVA) *** CLOSED ***
124 Washington Place
New York, NY 10014
Telephone: 212-243-4804 / Fax: 212-243-2007
E-mail: info@lavavideo.org
Website: http://www.lavavideo.org
LAVA maintains an online catalog of 8,000 titles, 3,000 of which are in their collection and 400 of which they distribute and for which they have public performance rights. A comprehensive search of existing indigenous films is difficult because the online catalog lacks controlled vocabulary and thesaurus, but the LAVA’s subject focus and substantial collection make it a good place to identify (if not always purchase) indigenous films (and their synopsis of films are often more descriptive than those on festival or other distributor websites). LAVA is also a great resource because its archive is publicly available for on-site viewing.

Petate Productions
Telephone: 323-665-6711
E-mail: petate@petate.com
Website: http://www.petate.com
This is a production company led by female indigenous filmmaker, Yolanda Cruz. Cruz is dedicated to film on indigenous topics, as her five works presented can attest.

Producciones Nicobis
Avenida Saavedra 1036 Miraflores
Casílla 4002
La Paz – Bolivia
Telephone: 591-2-795433 / 591-2- 376962
Fax: 591-2-796000 / 591-2-796000
E-mail: lidelaq@hotmail.com (Liliana Ovando)
Website: http://www.utopos.org/Cine/Produc/Nicobis.htm
Produces ethnographic film of indigenous peoples of the Andes and Amazon. Also produces, in conjunction with UNICEF, three animations of indigenous myths for bilingual education programs (Guaraní/Aymara/Quechua) for children.

Productions B’alba
5704 rue St-Urbain
Montréal, Québec
H2T 2X3 Canada
Telephone/Fax: 514-270-7983
E-mail: medavis@sympatico.ca
Website: http://www3.sympatico.ca/medavis
This bilingual (French/English) website contains the works of Mary Ellen Davis and includes three films focusing on Guatemalan Indians: Haunted Land, Tierra Madre and The Devil’s Dream. Ms. Davis is also a program advisor for the film and videoprogram of the Montreal First Peoples’ Festival.
Ser Indígena YouTube Channel
Website: http://www.youtube.com/user/serindigenaorg
This YouTube channel contains maintains Mapuche-made videos. Previously, the Area Culturas Originarias del Consejo Nacional de la Cultura y las Artes de Chile maintained the “Ser Indígena: Portal de las Culturas Originarias de Chile” website, which seems to have moved here for the time being: http://serindigena.org
Taller de Historia Oral Andina / Qhip Nayr Uñtasis Sarnaqapxañani
E-mail: thoalp@ceibo.entelnet.bo
Website: http://www.aymaranet.org/thoa1.html
THOA is composed of a noted group of indigenous professionals and intellectuals who promote Native history and culture via literature, radionovelas and video. Their videos include 10 documentaries and docudramas.

The Video Project: Educational Videos on the Environment, Science and Social Studies
PO Box 411376
San Francisco, CA 94141-1376
Telephone: U.S. callers: 1-800-475-2638 / International callers 415-241-2514
Fax: 415 821-7204
E-mail: video@videoproject.net
Website: http://www.videoproject.net/subject_areas/subject_humanpop.html – anchor783234
All together, the “Indigenous Cultures: Central and South America” and “Role Models” sections of this website includes 7 titles, one of which includes a resource book.

WITNESS: Using Video and Technology to Fight for Human Rights
80 Hanson Place, 5th Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11217
Temp Phone: 212.274.1664
Temp Fax: 718.228.6083
E-mail: witness@witness.org
Website: http://www.witness.org
WITNESS is a human rights organization that makes video cameras accessible to local activists who are trained in production and advocacy. This website maintains an archive with some indigenous material in their Americas section.

 

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