THE HYPERWOMEN
As hiper mulheres
Brazil, 2011
Kuikoro and Portuguese with English subtitles/ 80′
Directors: Carlos Fausto, Leonardo Sette, Takumã Kuikuro

Saturday, Sept-3 & Sept 2
3:30 | Museum of Anthropology UBC
Tickets at the door

In the Kuikuro homeland of the Upper Xingu of central Brazil, the community is called upon to make preparations for the Jamurikumalu ritual: a traditional festival of singing and dancing that is performed only by women. However, complications arise when the elderly woman who knows all the songs is found to be seriously ill. With refreshing frankness and exuberance, this extraordinary documentary follows the Kuikuro people in a race against time to preserve the knowledge of their elders and the practice of their traditions before they are lost forever. Winner of the 2012 Al Jazeera Documentary Award at VLAFF.

“The main focus of the film is the women… The singing, dancing, and wrestling tournaments shown in the film are testament to the strength and power of these women who are portrayed as dancing and fighting warriors.” Alessandra Santos, Instituto Hemisférico de Performance y Política

Temendo a morte da esposa idosa, um velho pede que seu sobrinho realize o Jamurikumalu, o maior ritual feminino do Alto Xingu (MT), para que ela possa cantar uma última vez. As mulheres do grupo começam os ensaios enquanto a única cantora que de fato sabe todas as canções se encontra gravemente doente. As Hiper Mulheres segue o povo Kuikuro em uma corrida contra o tempo para preservar as tradições de seus antepassados antes que elas se percam para sempre.

ADDITIONAL CREDITS
Producers: Carlos Fausto, Vincent Carelli
Writers: Carlos Fausto, Leonardo Sette, Takumã Kuikuro
Cinematographer: Mahajugi Kuikuro, Munai Kuikuro, Takumã Kuikuro
Editor: Leonardo Sette
Cast: Kanu Kuikuro, Kamankgagü Kuikuro, Ájahi Kuikuro, Amanhatsi Kuikuro, Aulá Kuikuro

Leonardo Sette’s first short, Ocidente, received the award for Best Film at Rio de Janeiro’s International Short Film Festival. Takumã Kuikuro was raised and educated by family in the Xingu Indigenous Reservation in the Brazilian Amazon. Carlos Fausto is a documentary photographer and Associate Professor of Anthropology at the Museu Nacional (UFRJ). The Hyperwomen premiered at the Rotterdam Film Festival in 2012.