Date: November 8, 2024 | 4:00 – 6:00 PM
Where: St John’s College
Social Lounge | UBC | 2111 Lower Mall
This event includes light refreshments.
This event is free to attend but space is limited so please register ASAP.
Films
Writing the Land
Kevin Lee Burton
2007 – 7 min
In this short documentary, a Musqueam elder rediscovers his Native language and traditions in the city of Vancouver, near where the Musqueam people have lived for thousands of years. Writing the Land captures the ever-changing nature of a modern city – the glass and steel towers cut against the sky, grass, trees and a sudden flash of birds in flight and the enduring power of language to shape perception and create memory.
Karuara, People of the River
Miguel Araoz Cartagena and Stephanie Boyd
2024 – 55 min version
“Karuara, People of the River” is a 2024 documentary that delves into the lives and struggles of the Kukama Indigenous people of the Peruvian Amazon. The story follows a courageous Indigenous woman and her community as they confront powerful interests to protect their river and its sacred spirits. Central to the film is a groundbreaking legal battle in which the Kukama people fight for the Marañón River to be recognized as a person with rights, echoing real-world movements advocating for environmental personhood. The film highlights the community’s efforts to preserve both their culture and the natural environment from external threats.
Speakers
Mariluz Canaquiri Muryari (Indigenous Activist and Film Producer)
Mary Luz is president of the Kukama Women’s Federation of the Maranon and Samiria Rivers. She has worked tirelessly on campaigns to defend the Amazon’s rivers and indigenous territory for the past 20 years. In 2023 she won an environmental defender award from the Yves Rocher foundation in France and spoke at the UN conference on water in New York. “Karuara, People of the River” is her first feature-length film.
Stephanie Boyd (Filmmaker and Writer)
Stephanie has spent the past 27 years living and working in Peru as a filmmaker and writer. Despite having a severe hearing impairment, she has produced and directed three award-winning feature documentaries: “Choropampa, The Price of Gold” (2002), Tambogrande, Mangos, Murder, Mining (2008) and “The Devil Operation” (2010). These films have been screened at over 100 international festivals, won over 25 awards and broadcast worldwide on stations including the Sundance Channel, Outside TV, CBC Country Canada, Al Jazeera and others. Stephanie was born and raised in Oshawa Ontario, where she learned about workers’ rights, industrial contamination and the power of social protest.
Robert Kozak (Professor and Dean at UBC Faculty of Forestry)
Rob’s teaching and research interests revolve around providing solutions to complex problems related to sustainable development, forestry, wood products and the emerging conservation economy. Under Rob’s leadership, the Faculty of Forestry has advanced EDI initiatives like the Folil Trafün Festival, promoting Indigenous films and dialogue about Indigenous knowledge and stewardship practices.
Miguel Araoz Cartagena (Director, Cinematographer, Animations)
Miguel is a visual artist from Cusco, Peru. “Karuara” is his first feature-length film. His paintings have been exhibited in France, Switzerland, Brazil, and Peru. His work has been published and exhibited at the Smithsonian Museum of Washington.
In 2019, he directed the short animation “And That is How the Rivers Come to Be,” screened at more than 20 international film festivals and won the best-animated film at the Montreal First Peoples’ Festival. Miguel incorporated hand-drawn and 2D Animation techniques for the Karuara Film.