Still from Embrace of the Serpent.
Colombian film Embrace of the Serpent is an otherworldly journey into the Amazon jungle, taking viewers on an elegiac and hallucinatory voyage that flows alongside other great river tales, from the books of Mark Twain and Joseph Conrad, to films like Werner Herzog's Fitzcarraldo and Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now.
Rendered in vivid black and white, much like the silver and obsidian tones of Edward S. Curtis' photographs of 1800s native Americans, director Ciro Guerra's rapturously-shot, narrative film is a rumination on cultural erasure, memory, and the lingering aftermath of colonialism. Shot on-site in the jungles of Colombia, with a cast and crew almost entirely composed of indigenous people, it's the first Colombian film that has been nominated for an Academy Award.
Embrace of the Serpent interweaves two timelines separated by 40 years: one tracing an expedition of early 20th century German ethnologist Theodor Koch-Gr nberg (played by Jan Bijvoet), while another follows American biologist Richard Evans Schultes (played by Los Angeles actor, Brionne Davis), the so-called father of ethnobotany, who is retreading his predecessor's jungle trek. The scientists are led by Karamakate, a lonesome shaman and last remaining member of his tribe, who helps them search for a sacred medicinal plant used by indigenous people of the Amazon. The sagely spirit guide is played by two indigenous actors, Nilbio Torres, as the younger Karamakate, and Antonio Bol var Salvador, who plays the shaman in his older years. The explorers traverse a river on a thin canoe, encountering residents of the rainforest and experiencing the encroaching effects of rubber plantations and missionaries.
The film is loosely based on the real writings of Koch-Gr nberg and the pharmacological research of Schultes -- whose 1979 book The Plants of the Gods: Their Sacred, Healing, and Hallucinogenic Powers inspired counterculture artists and writers to explore the spiritual qualities of shamanistic plants. The Amazon is the big unknown for us, Guerra says, so I found the diaries of the explorers who were the first ones to go into the Amazon in the 20th century. It was still uncharted area, and I couldn't believe that this story had never been told before. It was so fascinating that the story was exciting and heartbreaking, riveting, and it was an opportunity to bring the audience into a place both physical but also spiritual and mental.
While the film has subtle psychedelia touchstones of filmmakers like Alejandro Jodorowsky and Stanley Kubrick, Guerra says that the film is a commemoration to the original explorers whose works inspired future generations, and a reflection of indigenous cultures perched on the precipice of colonization.
Artbound recently sat down with Guerra and discussed the challenges of filming in the Amazon, how he cast the local actors and crew, and how the jungle represents the last great unknown.
Ciro Guerra shooting a scene for Embrace of the Serpent.
What was your relationship to the Amazon while growing up in Colombia ?
It was the big unknown, it was half of our country. You knew that there were indigenous communities but you didnt know who they were and how they viewed the world. We had a very basic conception of them. It was a very conflicted time in Colombia. We had the sense that it was a dangerous place. There were illegal groups. Both guerrilla and drug trafficking groups. People were afraid of it and society had turned its back on it completely. It is half of your country but you are completely disconnected from it. That was one of the main motivations, to build bridges between two very different worlds.
You've been making films since you were in your early 20s, but now your film is the first Colombian film ever nominated for an Oscar. Where were you when you heard the news?
We were invited by Caracol Televisi n, the main backer of the film and TV channel in Colombia, and they invited me the crew, and the producers of the new film to have breakfast and watch the announcement. When it came, it was a big surprise, we werent expecting it. We were not considered a favorite, but when it came it was a big surprise and joy. We were screaming and jumping around, and hugging each other. We got a call from the president congratulating us. It was a great moment for Colombian cinema.
Still from Embrace of the Serpent.
What drew you to the stories of these two scientists?
Making a film in the Amazon was a lifelong dream of mine. The Amazon is the big unknown for us, so I found the diaries of the explorers who were the first ones to go into the Amazon in the 20th century. It was still uncharted area, and I couldn't believe that this story had never been told before. It was so fascinating that the story was exciting and heartbreaking, riveting, and it was an opportunity to bring the audience into a place both physical but also spiritual and mental. Once we discovered the story, we couldn't stop thinking about it and we had to do it.
Throughout history there have been river stories, from the River Styx in Dante Alighieris Divine Comedy to Apocalypse Now. Why do you think people are so interested in stories about rivers?
Rivers are an important part of human history. Every major civilization and every major city developed next to a river and they have played such an important part in the way that we have evolved as a species.
For the Amazonian people, they see the river as a gift -- a gift of life. If the rivers are running it is because life is existing. If the rivers dry out it is the biggest tragedy imaginable, or when rivers are poisoned for example. Many cultures see rivers as metaphors for existence or the passing of time. The perpetual motion is a reflection of the way our minds are al
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
22/10/2025
Over the past few months, a photovoltaic system has been installed on a three-he...
22/10/2025
The Orion spacecraft for NASA's Artemis II mission is stacked on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kenn...
22/10/2025
L3Harris' Hybrid SATCOM is resilient by design, offering path diversity that eliminates vulnerabilities by routing data across the best available networks i...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. Organizers of NAB Show New York said they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countries along with 260 exhibitor...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C The organizers of The 2025 NAB Show New York have announced that they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countr...
22/10/2025
Masque Sound, a leading theatrical sound reinforcement, installation and design company, supplied an extensive gear package of professional-grade equipment for ...
22/10/2025
Lightware, a global leader in signal management and AV connectivity solutions, is seeing strong market momentum for the UCX-3x3-TPX-RX20, a compact transmitter-...
22/10/2025
MELVILLE, N.Y. Chyron has released PAINT 10.2, the latest update for its telestration platform, adding support for SMPTE ST 2110 IP workflows, expanding brandin...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON Run3TV today said NBCUniversal is joining as an investor in the ATSC 3.0 Framework Authority, which develops the Run3TV NextGen TV application platfo...
22/10/2025
ATLANTA swXtch.io will feature two new networking solutions extending the company's reach across more cloud and on-prem workflows at NAB Show New York, set ...
22/10/2025
The Warner Bros. Discoverys HBO Max streaming services has increased prices for all its streaming tiers effectively immediately for new customers. Existing cust...
22/10/2025
LOS ANGELES OpenDrives has signed a new distribution partnership deal with Versatile Distribution Services (VDS) to strengthen its channel and streamline how it...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C The organizers of The 2025 NAB Show New York have announced that they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countr...
22/10/2025
Samora Pinderhughes Brings Immersive Sound to Berklee's Signature Series The artist and composer, who's worked with Herbie Hancock, Robert Glasper, Co...
22/10/2025
BMI Day at Berklee Celebrates Composer Fil Eisler and Awards Scholarship to Stud...
22/10/2025
Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF cooperate in drone defense Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF partner to deliver a comprehensive drone defense solution combining Rohde & S...
22/10/2025
European Broadcaster Upgrades To Grass Valley's NativeIP LDX 135 Cameras And...
22/10/2025
Everyone Gets a Better Deal on Verizon with New FOX One Perk The $15 FOX One streaming service perk is yet another way Verizon continues to add savings for cu...
22/10/2025
First Look Hidden Assets Series 3
Premieres on 9th November 9:30pm on RT One & RT Player
WATCH HERE Promo Link: Hidden Assets Series 3 | RT
The Crimin...
21/10/2025
NAB New York 2025: Although AES Show Is on Its Own, Audio Will Be a Major Part o...
21/10/2025
NAB New York 2025: Business of Broadcast and Media,' Future of Content'...
21/10/2025
SVG All-Stars: Ethan Folz, Senior Director, Digital Operations and Quality of Ex...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: Livestream Offers Graphic Overlays, Predictive Gaming, Ancil...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: At the Front Bench With Producer Frank DiGraci and Director ...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: NBC Sports, NEP Build Ultra-Flexible Production Plan That Se...
21/10/2025
Indigenous storytelling has been at the heart of the work of the Sundance Instit...
21/10/2025
Top L-R: Mysterious Skin, American Dream Second Row L-R: Little Miss Sunshine, D...
21/10/2025
Last week, Spotify and Columbia Records transformed Pier 4 at the Brooklyn Army ...
21/10/2025
SBS Learn's Dharug Ngurra resource empowers classrooms to meaningfully celeb...
21/10/2025
As global operators simplify and evolve their digital platforms, NPS improvement...
21/10/2025
Critical Design Review completion is a key milestone on the path toward Wideband Global Satellite Communications certification for the network in 2026, opening ...
21/10/2025
New Australian undersea training range to implement and improve warfighting tactics, proficiency and safety; enable joint/allied training that contributes to pr...
21/10/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
21/10/2025
September, the beginning of autumn, brought an expected revival to the TV market, largely due to the new fall TV schedules. The time spent in front of the TV sc...
21/10/2025
Broadcast Booms with 20% Uptick vs. August, Achieving Largest Monthly
Increase ...
21/10/2025
During September, streaming's share of TV viewing in Mexico settled at 24.5%, a marginal shift of -0.5 share points from the previous month.
Disclaimer: YU...
21/10/2025
RENNES, France BBright and GlobalM have conducted a technical trial validating Ultra HD interoperability across the entire contribution chain in the cloud, achi...
21/10/2025
Kokusai Denki Electric America will mark the U.S. debut of a new 4K camera at the 2025 NAB New York, Oct. 22-23. Now available, the Z-HD6500-S1 UHD/HD productio...
21/10/2025
Triveni Digital, a trusted leader in ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 service delivery, data broadcasting, and quality assurance solutions, will showcase its entire NEXTGEN TV ...
21/10/2025
Radio Azzurra FM, longest-running radio station in the province of Novara, northwest Italy, has invested in an DHD SX2 audio routing and mixing console for inte...
21/10/2025
Globecast, the leading provider of broadcast, media and entertainment managed services, has announced the appointment of G Morgan as Executive Vice President of...
21/10/2025
Visual Data announces the appointment of Maz Al-Jumaili as Senior Vice President, Worldwide Localization, to advance client engagement, strategic partnerships, ...
21/10/2025
As Amazon's Prime Video prepares to launch its coverage of NBA basketball under a major new deal, Grup Mediapro has announced that it is working with the st...
21/10/2025
ATLANTA Good news for consumers using an Atlanta DTH receiver to watch ATSC 3.0: with a new software update, they will be able to blanket their homes with Wi-Fi...
21/10/2025
While recent news has been heavily focused on Hispanic migration into the U.S., The 2025 Hispanic Market Report from Claritas highlights the fact that this gr...
21/10/2025
MAIDENHEAD, UK RWS has hired Michael Wayne as its head of media and entertainment in Los Angeles where he will lead the company's media localization busines...
21/10/2025
Imagine Communications and Rohde & Schwarz today announced a definitive agreement under which Imagine will acquire Pixel Power Limited, a wholly owned subsidiar...
21/10/2025
Atlanta DTH (ADTH) today announced a major update that will expand the functionality of its NEXTGEN TV receiver by enabling gateway capabilities allowing viewer...
Still from Embrace of the Serpent. 
