Amazona

In 1541, when conquistador Francisco de Orellana was choosing a name for South America’s largest river, whose course he was following with his expedition, he was inspired by a recent encounter with a native tribe of warrior women. And so he named the river the Amazon, after the fabled people of ancient Greek mythology. Over the intervening centuries, various cracks have appeared in this seductive legend from the Age of Exploration (for instance, there is some question as to whether the Spanish adventurer had, in fact, encountered a group of long-haired men), but none of this changes the fact that the region and the river bear the name to this day. And so we still associate the humid jungles of South America with the archetypal image of unbowed warrior women just as the windswept pampas of Argentina and Uruguay evoke images of the male gaucho. The section’s distinctive films from Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador, and Venezuela take a look at modern Amazons determined to face the challenges of living in the unpredictable Amazon region. The films’ diverse themes present life amidst the impenetrable jungle braved only by aboriginals and guerillas, but also life in the jungle of the modern city ruled by the cruel law of the streets. The six stories of Amazona are told primarily through their setting, details, and actions. They are wild and strange, just like their daring heroines.