And that Is How the Rivers Came to Be

A long time ago, before there were rivers in the Amazon rainforest, a Kukama God stood poised in his canoe, holding aloft his bow and arrows.The arrows fell one by one creating vast, winding rivers, which the Kukama people have navigated until modern times. In a world that puts a price tag on nature, this animation takes viewers inside the magic and beauty of the Amazon region and reminds us of our sacred connection to water.

Miguel is a visual artist who was born in 1977 in Cusco, Peru. “And that is how the rivers came to be” is his first animated film. Miguel is currently filming and co-directing his first feature-length film with Stephanie, called “Karuara, People of the River”, about spirit creatures that live beneath the Amazon’s rivers, and an indigenous community’s struggle to save these sacred water guardians.

– Annecy International Animation Festival 2019 (France)
– Guadalajara International Film Festival, 2019 (Mexico)
– Hot Docs 2019 (Canada)
– Special Hot Docs screening ‘Best of Hot Docs shorts’ august 2019 (Canada)
– Jaipur International Film Festival 2019 (India)
– La Guarimba International Film Festival 2019 (Italy)
– Sydney Latin American Film Festival 2019 (Australia)
– Vancouver Latin America Film Festival 2019 (Canada)
– Le Temps Presse Festival 2020 (France)
– 31st International First Peoples Festival “Présence Autochtone” 2021 – Best Animation Film (Canada)