Ecuador: Miguel Alvear and Patricio Andrade

Miguel Alvear and Patricio Andrade (Ecuador)created Blak Mama, a surrealistic film in which three paper recyclers from the city of Quito, Ecuador, take part in a voyage of transformation. In a dream, they meet Capi Luna and the Exterminating Angel, two fantastical beings who lead them to the Puerta del Perdón [Door of Forgiveness] to pay tribute to an Andean deity. During their journey, the protagonists become ideal versions of themselves, modelled on figures of the popular culture. The continuous recycling of objects and identity is the film’s dominant metaphor, which allows the authors to make a historical transgression through the free association of Andean, popular and mythological elements.

Detail of poster for the film "Blak Mama" (illustration by Sebastián Malo), 2009, HD Video, courtesy of La Otra Films, Quito.