National Geographic Society

From director James Barr, the U.S. premiere of KORO'S MEDAL takes place at the All Roads Film Festival September 15 at 7:00 pm.

Film Review by Jeremy Hall, All Roads intern and film student

When I first watched KORO'S MEDAL, I never knew what was going to happen next. This is a fun film to watch for this very reason. The beginning is extremely mellow compared to the rest of the movie. Once the action picks up - and trust me, it does -- it only increases exponentially until the film's rewarding conclusion.

When Billy's older brother accuses him of being a chicken, Billy must call his bravery into account and save the day. Bookshelves topple like dominoes and gravity turns a refrigerator into a deadly weapon. Even though the movie has more action than the latest Bond film (relative to its length, of course) I was impressed by the subtle emotions also present in the film.

KORO'S MEDAL highlights the importance of family and history. When you watch this film, expect the unexpected.

By Liz Unger, All Roads Film Project Intern

Los Derechos de la Pachamama (Peru) premieres September 17th at noon at the All Roads Film Festival in Washington, DC. FREE SCREENING followed by discussion with director.

The Rights of Mother Earth is the captivating story of five diverse Peruvian communities recognizing the importance of restoring their cultural traditions in order to honor and respect the world we live in. Ridden with chants, offerings, spiritual dreams, and ceremonies, this film showcases compelling indigenous Peruvian rituals throughout its duration.

The people from these five communities- Perka, Karhui, Queromarca, Chaka, and Cochas Grande- believe that the Earth is degrading because their new generations aren't performing the rituals that Mother Earth requires in order to be happy and healthy. In other words, they believe that the rising numbers of droughts, landslides, and earthquakes is Mother Earth being pissed off that people aren't paying her as much respect. These indigenous peoples have the mindset that everything in the world is alive; the trees, the rivers, the mountains, the sun, even rocks, and they all speak a language we can't understand. This is why these communities believe it is so important to perform rituals- if they are good to Mother Earth, she will be good to them; she will keep their crops healthy, keep robbers away, and ward off frost.

In order to appease Mother Earth, these indigenous peoples have to make offerings to the mountain spirits. Throughout the film, you can observe various villagers from the community describing or demonstrating what such an offering entails: lit candles, colorful weavings, flowers, and prayers are all big aspects of their ritualistic practices. One man states that before hunting, he must approach a mountain with liquor or some cocoa a leaves, so that the mountain will give over his foxes for him to hunt. Another discusses a vivid dream he had, in which a woman spirit came down from a mountain and told him she would take certain things away from him unless he made offerings to her.

These communities are all about the give and take, and they make offerings to Mother Earth before they do anything involved with the land. The bottom line is that these people want to make sure that they pay their respects because, hey, Mother Earth gets hungry too.

This summer our intern Liz Unger explored three films from the Festival involving some aspect of Ritual. Today we post her review of Sky Dancer (China) which plays at the Grosvenor Auditorium on Saturday September 17 at 4pm. (Co-host: Machik, a non-profit providing assistance to communities on the Tibetan plateau) Discussion with director Jody Kemmerer follows the screening.

The All Roads Film Project features stunning photographs and films of underrepresented cultures from around the world, channeling cultural awareness and making an impact on viewers year after year at its annual film festival. The in-depth perspective of indigenous peoples in All Roads' selected films really bares the essence of their fabulous cultures- which is part of the reason why audiences flock back every year to watch them. I find All Roads' viewers quite fascinated by lifestyles that are so different from their own; they are captivated by people who live off the land, captivated by those who still follow the ways of their ancestors from hundreds of years ago. Our audiences are enthralled with cultures whose populace is so deeply in touch with the world we live in, they understand and are connected with nature in ways that the rest of society has forgotten through the ages.

These people, these indigenous communities, take pride in their culture; they don't want to forget. One of the most effective and important ways for them to keep their culture alive is through ritualistic practices.
Rituals are a series of actions performed for a symbolic value, which mainly pertain to community traditions or religious beliefs. The purposes of rituals are vast; they can range from a demonstration of respect to a divine figure to satisfying the practitioner's own emotional needs. Gestures, recitation of texts, ceremonial dancing, consumption of certain food and drink, playing instruments, and taking hallucinogenic drugs are all kinds of actions that can be incorporated into a ritual. Rituals can be performed by an individual, group, or an entire community, and are practiced in all aspects of society: birthing ceremonies, rites of passage, weddings, exorcisms, application of medicines, and funerals.

These practices are absolutely fascinating to me and, I believe, captivating to watch. This is why I wanted to concentrate on some of the rituals of cultures I've seen in this year's selected films, and expand on how amazing they really are on my blog. Not only did I think people would be able to learn about the background and importance of these fantastic ceremonies, I thought it would really promote the films and get people more interested in watching them.

So with that, take a look at Sky Dancer:

Sky Dancer is a striking documentary that follows the daily life and teachings of a woman named Khandroma Kunzang Wangmo, the matriarch of a remote area on the Tibetan plateau. As one of Tibetan Buddhism's most venerated female masters, Khandroma undertakes large numbers of rituals during her role as a mother and spiritual leader for her community.

A little background: Tibetan Buddhism is the official religion of Tibet, formed from a combination of Buddhism and an ancient Tibetan shamanic religion. Tibetan Buddhism emphasizes intellectual discipline, logic, and meditation, and is well known for its rich visual symbolism and outwardly religious activities. Its practitioners use complex ritualistic practices to worship and interact with the divine, some of which include recitations of mantras, forms of meditation, offerings, and prayer.

Throughout this documentary, many such rituals are caught on film; Khandroma is constantly approached by other community members for advice, prayers, and remedies. She largely appeases them by praying to divine figures and giving them blessings. One memorable scene in Sky Dancer is when Khandroma catches two boys (one of them her own nephew, and the other a tulku, a reincarnated priest whom Khandroma officially recognized) using snuff behind her back. The punishment ritual that ensues is the two boys kneeling on the ground, stuffing the snuff and cigarette butts in their mouths while being hit by Khandroma and other family members. Khandroma brings over a statue of Buddha and makes them vow never to smoke ever again.

Khandroma is also seen in many scenes with a mala- a special necklace made of large beads. Using a mala can be understood as a method for counting mantra (sacred text) recitation if done correctly: holding it in the left hand, a bead is pulled forward with a thumb for each mantra recitation. This is an important practice in Tibetan Buddhism! If the practitioner uses the mala with a pure heart and proper motivation, only then will one's negative qualities will be transformed over time into virtuous, true qualities. This method of reciting mantra helps people awaken to their true nature, and is one step closer on the path to enlightenment.