Peruvian film “Raíz” premieres at the Berlin International Film Festival

The film “Raíz” (2022), the second feature film directed by Cusco native Franco García Becerra, will have its world premiere at the recent gala of the Berlin International Film Festivalalso known as the Berlinale.

“Raíz”, recorded in October 2022 in the province of Quispicanchis and spoken entirely in Quechua, has been included in the official competition of the Generation section, aimed at a children’s audience as they are films narrated through the eyes of their young protagonists and that serve as a mirror to the adult world.

“Raíz”, written by Annemarie Gunkel and Alicia Quispe, is a film narrated from the vision of the boy Feliciano, an alpaca shepherd elated because Peru has a chance to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

While Feliciano experiences this emotion, the film reveals the situation of his community, which is at risk of disappearing due to the contamination of the pastures and the pressure of a mining company, which threaten Feliciano’s world and dreams. In this fractured world, the child’s vision will invite us to reflect on socio-environmental problems in his community, which may be similar in other places in Peru.

“The desire to see Peru in the Soccer World Cup for the first time in 36 years was the hope of many Peruvians of different generations, including me. It meant uniting everyone in the same dream and forgetting, for a moment, our difficulties. However, it revealed a marked contrast between shared happiness and the different realities experienced in our country. Telling the story from Feliciano’s point of view highlights the importance of pres“preserve the innocence of children and their ties to their place of origin, in the midst of the dangers that threaten to destroy them,” said director Franco García.

“Raíz” won the economic production stimulus from the Ministry of Culture of Peru – DAFO 2021. On the other hand, since its development it participated in the following laboratories / workshops: Nuevas Miradas (Cuba), SANFIC (Chile), Cinema of Tomorrow (Peru ), SAPCINE (Colombia), Cinema in the Villages (Colombia).

The Berlinale will be held from February 15 to 25, 2024 and the selection shows 25 feature films from world cinema aimed at a children’s audience, the most outstanding and innovative made during the last year.