English summary

The Amazon Basin, early 20th century. An era in which regions were being mapped for the first time and local peoples were being oppressed. An extraordinary meeting takes place between two explorers and a shaman, and together they will make a hazardous journey through the jungle.

In the Amazonian jungle in the early 1900s the German explorer Theo and his local guide Manduca meet the shaman  Karamakate. Theo has been in the region for some time but is seriously ill and looking for a rare medicinal plant. The shaman, whose people have been murdered and driven from their homes by white men, accompanies the pair in the hope of finding survivors of his tribe. What follows is a journey across the water that is physically exhausting and mentally draining. Along the way they are confronted by harsh realities, including the impact of Western greed and missionary zeal on this previously untouched region.

This film will introduce you to a lost civilization whose extraordinary insights and bonds with nature have so much to teach the West. El Abrazo de la Serpiente, shot in glorious black & white (Cinemascope format), won 16 awards at international film festivals, including the prestigious Art Cinema Award (Cannes 2015).