Takumã Kuikuro is an internationally recognised filmmaker and an indigenous Brazilian raised in the Xingu National Park in the heart of the country. In 2002, he was trained through a NGO programme Video in the Villages (Video nas Aldeias) and soon he would co-produce and co-direct short films.

The Day The Moon Menstruated (Takumã Kuikuro, Maricá Kuikuro, 2004) is set in the Upper Xingu when a lunar eclipse takes place and brings mysterious consequences to the villagers. Everything changes as the male moon menstruates. The short movie portrays shamans healing the body pains and women singing about sexuality and gender.

Kuikuru’s first feature, The Hyperwomen (Kuikuru, Leonardo Sette, Carlos Fausto, 2012), was shown at Rotterdam International Film Festival the following year. The documentary follows preparations for a Jamurikumalu ritual, or in other words, a festival of singing and dancing that is only performed by women. The problem is that the only woman who knows all the songs is seriously ill.

The director is warning the world about the importance of preserving Indigenous culture and habits. As the generations grow old and the young Indians to leave the tribe in order to find work and study in the big cities, populations steadily decline. Films are a historical register for the following generations.

In April 2015, he undertook a residency at People’s Palace Projects in order to create a film about the similarities and differences between his Kuikuro village and British capital, one of the largest and most developed communities in the world. The resulting short movie, London as a Village, is a captivating and a sharp anthropological perspective on Western society, and it exposes many “tribes” hidden under the London skyline.

In April 2015, he undertook a residency at People’s Palace Projects in order to create a film about the similarities and differences between his Kuikuro village and British capital, one of the largest and most developed communities in the world. The resulting short movie, London as a Village, is a captivating and a sharp anthropological perspective on Western society, and it exposes many “tribes” hidden under the London skyline.

Takumã Kuikuro’s contact is takucineasta@gmail.com.