A’BURU
Juan Pablo Pinto and Sebastián Gómez Ruiz
2023 - 26’ - Documentary
World Premiere
A'buru is the material used by the Arhuaco’s communities from La Sierra Nevada mountain range in Santa Marta (Colombia) for spiritual rituals and offerings to their sacred sites. The documentary follows the process of making these offerings in three sacred sites near the Indigenous community of Jimaín, known as the spiritual entryway to the Sierra mountain range. Guided by the Mamo, a spiritual authority of the Arhuaco people, the documentary reflects on the importance of recognizing alternative wisdom, and the work that Indigenous peoples do to heal and restore territories affected by modern capitalist industry.
Juan Pablo Pinto Mendoza
is a documentary filmmaker and media artist. Born in Colombia, Juan Pablo immigrated to Canada at the age of 19. He draws on his experience as an immigrant as well as his academic background in politics and anthropology to explore themes of identity, culture, memory and discourse. He enjoys using poetic and experimental approaches as well as magical realism to fulfill his artistic vision. Pinto Mendoza aspires to challenge his audience to question notions of nationhood and belonging in their everyday interactions. His recent work has focus on issues related to indigeneity, food and land sovereignty, and environmental activism.
Sebastian Gómez Ruiz
Anthropologist and filmmaker. MA in Visual Anthropology, University of Barcelona. MA in Anthropology, University of Los Andes. Anthropologist, University of Los Andes. His films have participated in ethnographic film festivals such as Ethnocineca in Viena, the Royal Anthropological Institute Film Festival in Bristol, Mother Tongue Film Festival in Washington, and the Taiwan International Ethnographic Film Festival in Taipéi. His work has been supported by some scholarships such as Colciencias No.765. Doctorados en el Exterior (2016-2019), The Wenner-Gren Foundation (2020-2022) and Cinemateca Distrita de Bogotá- Sinfonías de Bacatá (2022)
