Meet Katahirine, the first network of indigenous women filmmakers in Brazil

Bringing together 71 women from 32 ethnicities – among them, already renowned names like Graci Guarani, a professor of the course Indigenous Women and New Social Media - from Invisibility to Access to Rights (UN Women Brazil), and Olinda Wanderley Yawar Tupinambá, from Falas Da Terra, a documentary that took her to various festivals around the world, Katarhrine is born, the first network of indigenous women dedicated to audiovisual productions.

The launch of the Network took place on 04/29, in a live stream on the Instituto Catitu channel on YouTube, with participation from the Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Sônia Guajajara.

The project is composed not only of audiovisual professionals but also of communication. Its main objective is to strengthen the struggle of indigenous peoples through cinema. The network emerges from the work of Instituto Catitu, a non-profit association that promotes cultural and environmental projects with indigenous communities, and it begins to take shape with a groundbreaking mapping of indigenous filmmakers in Brazil.

“Audiovisual has been a tool for the struggle of indigenous women. Cinematic productions have contributed so that they can claim rights, denounce setbacks, and occupy their space in both indigenous and non-indigenous society,” says Mari Corrêa, director of Instituto Catitu, responsible for coordinating the project.

Katahirine is a word from the Manchineri ethnicity that means constellation, reflecting plurality, connection, and the union of diverse women who support and self-promote each other. This constellation includes indigenous people from various biomes, regions, and peoples who come together to strengthen the struggle of indigenous peoples through the seventh art.

“Building this collective is fundamental for the struggles of the movement of indigenous women and their peoples,” is mentioned in the presentation text of the Network written by the women of its Curatorial Council.

The first initiative is the website www.katahirine.org.br, which was also launched on 04/29, a platform where each filmmaker will have a page with their profile, biography, and productions. In the future, the network plans to promote meetings among filmmakers from all over the country and organize showcases.

Natuyu Txicão, from the Ikpeng people, lives in the Indigenous Land Xingu. Credit: Suely Maxakali

Katahirine will also operate in the development of strategies to strengthen indigenous audiovisual and in proposing public policies that address the production of cinema made by indigenous women.

“Our work addresses central issues of our peoples, such as the recovery of historical memories, the reaffirmation of ethnic identities, the appreciation of traditional knowledge, languages, and the role of women in our societies,” explains the presentation text of the Network.

The Council of the Network is primarily composed of female indigenous filmmakers and researchers from different ethnicities. Currently participating are the indigenous filmmakers Graciela Guarani, from the Guarani Kaiowá ethnicity, Patrícia Ferreira Pará Yxapy, from the Mbyá-Guarani ethnicity, Olinda Wanderley Yawar Tupinambá, from the Tupinambá/Pataxó Hã-Hã-Hãe ethnicity, and Vanúzia Bomfim Vieira, from the Pataxó people. Also part of it are Mari Corrêa, filmmaker and director of Instituto Catitu, Sophia Pinheiro, visual artist and filmmaker, and journalist Helena Corezomaé, a journalist from the Balatiponé ethnicity.

Indigenous audiovisual production is a form of resistance against the marginalization and exclusion of indigenous peoples. It helps to give visibility and voice to the peoples, showcasing their realities, challenges, and struggles. It is important for the preservation of identity and for the fight against cultural appropriation.

Credit: Suely Maxakali