“What is that smoke for?”

In a remote Amazonian village, a young boy asks his grandfather why a haze surrounds their home. “It protects us from them, from the invisible beings of the water,” his grandfather replies.

A new short film, “Lanawaru,” follows the boy as he seeks comfort in the Indigenous traditions, prayers and guidance of his grandfather, whose help is sought after a member of their community disappears.

The film, produced by Conservation International in partnership with Bezos Earth Fund, debuted at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam late last year, and will begin screening at the Cartagena International Film Festival on April 6.

Watch the trailer here:

Set in Puerto Caimán, along the Caquetá river in southeastern Colombia, the grandfather communicates with the inhabitants of the forest, including the fearsome “Grandfather Caiman” known as Lanawaru, through sacred healing and protection rituals that are core to the community and maintaining a balanced relationship with nature.

“Indigenous people of the Amazon have maintained the land for thousands of years,” said Angello Faccini Rueda, the director of the film. “They know they must maintain that sacred balance with nature — it’s what keeps the world in peace. Our goal was to capture the atmosphere of the place, rather than explain it. As the environmental crisis grows, it’s critical to highlight this relationship.”

Watch the film here.

Mary Kate McCoy is a staff writer at Conservation International. Want to read more stories like this? Sign up for email updates. Also, please consider supporting our critical work.