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Indigenous Filmmaker Wins Prize for Jaguar Myth Film

10/27/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Ariel Kuaray Ortega, an Indigenous Brazilian filmmaker, co-created a docufictional film about Canuto, a man who allegedly transformed into a jaguar.
The film won a prize at the 2023 IDFA festival.
It blends documentary elements with a fictional re-enactment involving local villagers.
Ortega investigates customs and beliefs while addressing the community's belief in the jaguar myth and its collective grief over Canuto's fate.

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Story summary

Ariel Kuaray Ortega, an Indigenous Brazilian filmmaker, co-created a docufictional film about Canuto, a man who allegedly transformed into a jaguar.
The film won a prize at the 2023 IDFA festival.
It blends documentary elements with a fictional re-enactment involving local villagers.
Ortega investigates customs and beliefs while addressing the community's belief in the jaguar myth and its collective grief over Canuto's fate.