In Bolivia, 13 year old Kunturi for the first time accompanies his father as he leads a traditional, colorfully outfitted llama caravan along the ancient “ruta de la sal” (salt route). The journey begins at their home on the salt plains where the blocks of salt are harvested and leads to the increasingly remote villages of the Andes where the grateful villagers barter corn and pumpkins for the essential salt and ends with the Tinku Festival where Kunturi meets his future wife. Pachamama has been correctly compared to Latcho Drom and Postmen in the Mountains: all three could be called ethnographic road movies with big hearts and eyes for beauty. “Named after the Queeha earth goddess, the pic portrays a vanishing way of life yet emerges as a delightful celebration of it.” Variety.

Sponsored by Beth Anne Pochopien, Occupational Therapist

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