Synopsis
Shiwahuaco is an experimental documentary film, capturing the essence, the medicine and the spirit of a powerful Amazonian tree facing extinction, portrayed through the relationship with director, producer and writer Hauxita Jergeschew. Dypterix micrantha, also known as Shihuahaco or Shiwawaku, is one of the tallest growing trees inhabiting the Amazon Basin, providing in symbiosis for its ecosystem. Known as “iron wood” for its properties, it is the most sought-after Amazonian tree on the international timber market.
The audience will be introduced to the jungle habitat through Hauxita Jergeschew's own healing journey consulting medicinal plants of the Amazon Basin over lengthy periods of time through the ancient practice of Dieta, which is a strict framework of exposing oneself to ingesting the medicine (in form of a tea or extract) of one plant or tree in the setting of the jungle in isolation and silence, with specific dietary restrictions, over several weeks or months.
Through dieting the bark of Shiwahuaco tree under the guidance of curandero (healer) Percy Garcia Lozano from the Cocama tradition, Hauxita has been able to connect on a deeper level with this endangered tree. Documenting the way of dieting Shiwahuaco through Lozano’s heritage, Hauxita will be sharing her transforming experience in regards to its effects and health benefits on her mind, spirit and heart.
On the other hand, Tatiana Espinoza from Arbio Perú, an NGO dedicated to the protection of the Amazon, will be displayed in this film with the function of an eye-witness from the frontlines of preservation of a habitat at risk, giving insights to the current status of extinction of this meaningful tree.
The film material has been developed in the Amazon Basin of Loreto region and in Madre de Dios.
The director highlights the ambivalent situation an old, wise Amazonian tree finds itself in: Maybe soon to be history, if the trajectory of its current extraction will not be altered. On the other hand, its spirit and medicine being valued in the Amazonian healing system, represented through Lozano, who is also the last of his lineage, the director gives space to explore this dichotomy.
