Ainbo: Spirit of the Amazon
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Thirteen-year-old Ainbo, an experienced hunter, was born and raised in the village of Candámo, in the deepest jungle of the Amazon. One day she discovers that her homeland is threatened and that there are other humans besides her own people. Ainbo realises that it is up to her to protect her tribe. With the help of her spirit guides, the armadillo Dillo and the tapir Piro, she fights to save her paradise from illegal mining and deforestation, seeking a way to stop the destruction and the coming of Yacuruna, the demon that dwells in the darkness of greedy hearts. Guided by her mother's spirit, Ainbo is determined to save her land before it is too late.
To the film, which chooses the register of the fable and pays homage to Amazonian legends thousands of years old to recount one of the Planet's great environmental emergencies, lend their voices, in the Italian version, Stefano Belisari (Elio e le Storie Tese), Luciana Littizzetto and Ciro Priello.
«My brothers and I have always dreamed of making films and telling those fantastic stories that the Amazon, our homeland, is steeped in. And I have always had the desire to tell the story of my mother: she is the one who actually inspired Ainbo. Starting from her story, we began to mix ingredients such as the sad reality of Amazon rainforest depredation, illegal mining, climate change and the savage felling of trees. Then we wondered how to bring a good story to the cinema to convey a profound message to children, to future generations, and to paint a portrait of an almost apocalyptic reality without being too unpleasant. And that is when the idea of making a feature-length animated film was born.
I grew up in Peru and have a strong connection with the Amazon and my roots. My childhood and adolescence were marked by the fantastic and magic, by beliefs and a very strange way of conceiving life. Living with nature constitutes a universe all of its own and feeds the imagination: talking animals and magical landscapes, full of wizards and healers, helped us not only to write the story of Ainbo but also other stories. Ainbo gave us the opportunity to show the Amazon in a more honest and authentic way, adopting an indigenous point of view. The film has a unique touch that strikes a chord with the audience. I hope it will help to show the Amazon in a new way. Ainbo's world is threatened by the growth of industries on his land and on his shoulders is the burden of saving his home and the planet. There is no weakness in fragility or adversity. In order for justice to prevail, strength can be found. You will have to face your principles more times than you can imagine and even sacrifice love for the greater good».
(Jose Zelada)
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Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Creative Europe Media Program. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.