Castanho

El cuidador del bosque

July 2021 •Spanish

Defenders of Life

February 2015 •Spanish

In the hills of Costa Rica, Doña Carmen struggles to pass on her tribe's traditional ways of life. She must soon marry off her only granddaughter, and 70-year-old shaman Don Claudio lays his claim to the girl, who is only 12 and already impregnated by him. When the girl befriends the young son of a visiting anthropologist, it forces a collision between the modern world and the ancient one.

Robinson Crusoe

May 1997 •English

Robinson Crusoe flees Britain on a ship after killing his friend over the love of Mary. A fierce ocean storm wrecks his ship and leaves him stranded by himself on an uncharted island. Left to fend for himself, Crusoe seeks out a tentative survival on the island, until he meets Friday, a tribesman whom he saves from being sacrificed. Initially, Crusoe is thrilled to finally have a friend, but he has to defend himself against the tribe who uses the island to sacrifice tribesman to their gods. During time their relationship changes from master-slave to a mutual respected friendship despite their difference in culture and religion.

Throat Song

September 2011 •English

In a small town in the Canadian Arctic, Ippik, a young Inuit woman, suffers in an abusive relationship. She starts to heal when she connects with other victims of violence and finds her voice.

Even in the Silence

June 2019 •English

Rachel, a young Mohawk woman, struggles with the aftermath of a terrible drunk-driving incident, forcing her to confront her trauma and mistakes in order to heal.

That Beautiful Somewhere

April 2007 •English

A detective teams up with a young female archaeologist to unravel the mysterious death of a 'bog body' found in a native swamp rumoured to have curative powers. It is the story of two wounded souls searching for healing and redemption

Crash Site

July 2015 •English

After her parents' death, Kaley must move from the reserve to the city to live with her older sister. After an argument, Kaley runs away to return home. During her journey, she meets a superhero who tells her how to hone her own powers.

10,000 BC

March 2008 •English

A prehistoric epic that follows a young mammoth hunter's journey through uncharted territory to secure the future of his tribe.

North Wind

October 1937 •Spanish

In an indigenous village a murder occurs, and young man is sentenced to death for it. However his father, the real culprit, takes the responsibility.

1492: Conquest of Paradise

October 1992 •English

1492: Conquest of Paradise depicts Christopher Columbus’ discovery of The New World and his effect on the indigenous people.

Dead Man

December 1995 •English

William Blake, an accountant turned fugitive, is on the run. During his travels, he meets a Native American man called Nobody, who guides him on a journey to the spiritual world.

Once Were Warriors

September 1994 •English

A drama about a Maori family living in Auckland, New Zealand. Lee Tamahori tells the story of Beth Heke’s strong will to keep her family together during times of unemployment and abuse from her violent and alcoholic husband.

Nunkui

August 2022 •Spanish

Nunkui is 13 years old and lives in an Amazonian Shuar community with her grandparents, uncles and cousins. She frequently dreams of the feminine spirit of the garden, named Nunkui like her. The girl does not know this spirit, she does not understand her dreams and is afraid; she fears that it is a dangerous spirit, an Iwianch. Curiosity, anguish and food shortages lead Nunkui to discover the knowledge of Rosa, her great-aunt, who still cultivates a traditional garden (aja shuar). Little by little, the garden and the sacred songs (anents) become a refuge for the young woman.

El Norte

October 1983 •Spanish

Brother and sister Enrique and Rosa flee persecution at home in Guatemala and journey north, through Mexico and on to the United States, with the dream of starting a new life.

The Tahitian

October 1959 •English

A group of scientists are trying to stop a filaria epidemic spreading through a Tahitian population. They meet resistance in using western medicine to combat the disease from the medicine man and chief until the chief's son is infested with the parasitic worm which causes the disease.

Birds of Passage

August 2018 •Spanish

During the marijuana bonanza, a violent decade that saw the origins of drug trafficking in Colombia, Rapayet and his indigenous family get involved in a war to control the business that ends up destroying their lives and their culture.

Savage

October 2009 •English

On a summer day in the 1950s, a native girl watches the countryside go by from the backseat of a car. A woman at her kitchen table sings a lullaby in her Cree language. When the girl arrives at her destination, she undergoes a transformation that will turn the woman’s gentle voice into a howl of anger and pain.

No Word For Worry

November 2014 •English

As a sea nomad, Hook grew up with the ocean as his universe. Now he must make a courageous voyage to salvage the remains of his dying culture

Where Am I?

July 2012 •

A golden object mystifies a young man living in a traditional Solomon Islands village. He dreams of going to the city and wakes up in a nightmare that changes his life forever.

Ethereal

November 2019 •French

A man spreads rumours about a local elder. To be forgiven, he will be put to the test. Ka tatishtipatakanit (Ethereal) is a poetic lesson about respect.