Stories That Matter 2019: Myths | Ex-Shaman

Description

Ex-Shaman

Dir. Luiz Bolognesi

Brazil | 81min | 2018 | Tupi, Portuguese, with English subtitles | Rating NC16 (Consumer Advice: Some Nudity)

*Singapore Premiere

Post-screening discussion with Zarina Muhammad and Chelsea Chua

Special Mention, Best Documentary, Berlin International Film Festival
Best Documentary, Chicago International Film Festival
Official Selection: Sheffield Doc Fest, DOXA Documentary Film Festival

A thread of magic runs through this quietly defiant quasi-documentary about the Paiter Surui, an indigenous people living in the Amazon basin. Centred on the tribe's charismatic former shaman, Perpera, Ex-Shaman explores the impact that the Western world has made on the Paiter Surui. Since first contact in 1969, gas cookers, smartphones and church-going have become de rigueur.

In order to gain acceptance in this new order, Perpera is now a church caretaker, and the old ways seem no more than anthropological curiosities. Yet Perpera's connection with the land and its spirits remain unshaken, as does his dogged persistence in serving his community.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXTlYV7TAdI

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Ticketing

Get the Stories That Matter Season Pass to attend all four film screenings from 27 Feb to 2 Mar at only $35! Standard tickets are $10 per screening.

Please note that tickets are non-exchangable and non-refundable.

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About Stories That Matter – Myths

Myths are as old as human civilisation. They inform, obfuscate and empower our most deep seated beliefs. This edition of Stories That Matter unpacks the role mythic tradition continues to play in our lives, through national, political and cultural narratives that shape our perception of the world.

Stories That Matter is an annual programme presented by Objectifs that looks at critical issues and trends in non-fiction visual storytelling.

Visit our website for information about the programme: objectifs.com.sg/storiesthatmatter2019

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About the Director:

Ex-Shaman is Luiz Bolognesi's second feature as a director. The first was the animated film Rio 2096, a Story of Love and Fury, which won the Cristal Award of Best Picture at the Annecy Animated Film Festival in 2013. He is also an award-winning screenwriter.

About the speakers:

Zarina Muhammad is an independent researcher, curator, arts practitioner and educator based in Singapore. She lectures on art history and cultural / contextual studies at LASALLE College of the Arts. She is currently working on a multidisciplinary research project on cultural translations pertaining to ritual magic, Southeast Asian mythologies, animism and folk religion, sacred sites and the cross / intercultural interpretations of witchcraft.

Chelsea Chua manages programmes at Objectifs. She runs the center's annual non-fiction programe, Stories That Matter, the Objectifs Documentary Award, artist residencies, and she oversees communications and marketing. Previous projects include "Personally Speaking: The Art of Caregiving", a commission by the Lien Foundation.

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Header image: Ex-Shaman by Luiz Bolognesi