Directors of IDFA Award Winner ‘Canuto’s Transformation’ Speak About the ‘Romanticization’ of Indigenous Stories, the Film’s Political Roots (EXCLUSIVE)
variety.comRafa Sales Ross Guest Contributor It took director Ariel Kuaray Ortega almost two decades to be able to tell a story he’s heard throughout his entire life: the strange tale of Canuto, a man who mysteriously transformed into a jaguar and then died a tragic death.
The resulting film, “Canuto’s Transformation,” had its world premiere at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, where it took the award for best film in the Envision Competition and the outstanding artistic contribution award.
The film, co-directed with Ortega’s longtime creative partner Ernesto de Carvalho, mixes documentary and a re-enactment of the story of Canuto with all parts played by villagers from a Mbyá-Guaraní community nested on the border between Brazil and Argentina.
Speaking exclusively with Variety ahead of the film’s world premiere at the festival, Ortega said: “When I first mentioned this story to Ernesto back in 2009, I didn’t know the format I wanted for this film.
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