COUNTRY
Ecuador
YEAR2025
DURATION19 min
WRITING Ruby Chasi
CINEMATOGRAPHY Bernarda Cornejo
MUSIC
Andrea Merchán
EDITION Pamela Hidalgo, Ruby Chasi
CAST María Antonia Shiguango, Maruja Tanguila, Flora Chongo, Ofelia Salazar, Mariela Zumba, Adela Alvarado, María Tapuy, Sonia Alvarado, Zoila Grefa
DISTRIBUTION A Posteriori Entertainment
INTERNATIONAL SALES A Posteriori Entertainment
CONTACT chasirub@gmail.com
SYNOPSIS In the Alto Napo region of the Ecuadorian Amazon, the Napuruna midwives celebrate the Kicnana ceremony to renew their energy after assisting a birth. Mama Antonia leads the ritual, teaching that the water of Pitón purifies the blood. Through storytelling, she passes down the tradition of midwifery from generation to generation. By drinking the sacred water, the midwives restore their health and strengthen their Pajuyuk, their ancestral wisdom. This practice keeps them spiritually connected to the rainforest.
Ruby Chasi
An Ecuadorian artist and filmmaker, graduated as the top Film student at USFQ, with a minor in Contemporary Dance, her connection with Indigenous cultures and the Kichwa language shaped her intercultural vision. She directed
Patarishka Kawsaykuna and is currently distributing her debut short film
Pajuyuk. She now works as a production coordinator at Glou and collaborates on
Mama, premiered at HotDocs.
FILMOGRAPHY
Patarishka Kawsaykuna (documentary, 2026)
