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Comuna Engabao

Chosen by Galo E. Rivera
Libertad Gills, Ecuador 2014, 52 Min., OV with English subs
Followed by a talk with Libertad Gills

Can a commune survive in the 21st Century? Engabao, a fishing commune in Ecuador, has historically been a site of land struggle between inhabitants and wealthy businessmen that threaten to convert collective lands into private property. Three founding members of the commune share their life stories, from which we discover that the struggle to survive, both individually and collectively, is one and the same.

Galo E. Rivera is an Ecuadorian immunologist (Ph.D.), an open-source programmer, and an independent audiovisual artist. Galo is passionate about community-built stories told through the lens of microscopes, cameras, code, and digital screens. Galo's current focus involves exploring diverse perspectives of identity at cellular, individual, or community levels. Currently, Galo is a member of the bar staff at SINEMA TRANSTOPIA.

Libertad Gills is a filmmaker, researcher, and critic with a Ph.D. in Artistic Studies. After teaching film and criticism at the Universidad de las Artes (Ecuador), she is now a Post-doc Researcher for the Future of Cinema and the Audiovisual Arts at Università della Svizzera italiana, in partnership with Locarno Film Festival. Comuna Engabao (2014)is a result of her M.A. thesis in Visual Anthropology & Documentary in Ecuador.