76 filmmakers, 27 countries, 1 day
Frontline storytellers bring us closer to the territories
A Day on Earth was created with a radical idea to involve filmmakers across a wide spectrum of professional and technical experience. By telling the story from the eyes of Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and local storytellers, we strengthen a living ecosystem of filmmakers. From seasoned filmmakers to first-time contributors, territorial knowledge in all its forms is turned into cinematic power.
Livia Silvano Pacaya
Kukama, Peru
Bio
Livia Silvano Pacaya is an emerging director, producer, and actress from her the Iquitos region, in Loreto. She began her work in film production at the age of 19 and subsequently directed her first short film. She is the co-director of MUYUNA FEST – International Floating Jungle Film Festival, which was born in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon in Iquitos—the largest city in the world inaccessible by road.
@livia_silvano
Roxana Carpio
Quechua, Peru
Bio
Roxana Carpio Almonte is an Andean-Quechua communicator and multidisciplinary artist from Puno, Peru. Her work as an audiovisual producer, singer, and educational clown is driven by an ethical commitment to visibility, social justice, and defending her territory. An ecofeminist and animal rights activist, she creates art that challenges inequality and reclaims historical memory. She is a recognized award winner and was declared “Puneña of the Bicentennial” by the Congress of Peru.
Whitney Snow
Pikuni/Blackfeet Nation, United States
Bio
Whitney is a documentary photographer who is dedicated to capturing stories that depict the emotional connection between people and their environment. She focuses on narratives about indigenous communities and their struggle to preserve their way of life, including efforts related to environmental and cultural conservation, as well as language revitalization. Her main focus is the Blackfeet Nation, where she works alongside local indigenous documentary filmmakers, environmental groups, community members, and state/national organizations to document the environmental and cultural preservation initiatives of the Blackfeet people.
@whitneytsnow
Samai Gualinga
Kichwa, Ecuador
Bio
Samai Gualinga is a Kichwa woman from the Indigenous Kichwa People of Sarayaku, the People of the Midday, where resistance and the Kawsak Sacha (Living Forest) will remain forever. Born in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, she has found in communication a form of struggle—a tool to narrate the living history of her people. She is a communicator, audiovisual producer, and part of the Waktachik team, which strengthens ancestral memory through word, art, and radio. As vice president of Sarayaku, she drives processes of education and self-determination. Her voice has been raised in international forums, bringing the jungle to the world and defending life.
@samai_gualinga_
Ana Lucia Ixchiu
Maya K´iche, Guatemala
Bio
Ana Lucia Ixchiu is a Maya K’iche’ woman from Totonicapán, Guatemala, she is a multifaceted artist, cultural manager, singer, community journalist, architect, community art curator, indigenous storyteller, and film director. A pioneer in creating works addressing art and the climate crisis, she has been an activist since the age of 11. Her path intensified following the October 4, 2012, massacre at the Alaska Summit—where the Guatemalan army attacked Indigenous people from Totonicapán—transforming her into a powerful activist and journalist for Indigenous rights. She was a leader of the student movement from 2013 to 2017. Currently, she lives in exile and is criminalized by the Guatemalan state as a target of the country’s criminal dictatorship and kleptocratic powers.
@luciaixchiugt
Nanang Sujana
Rejang, Indonesia
Bio
Rejang Indigenous Filmmaker. Nanang Sujana is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. He has been filming for BBC Natural World, National Geographic, Netflix, NHNZ, Aljazeera, Stern TV. Recently worked the Ocean Preservation Society feature documentary, ‘‘The Last Place on Earth’ as DoP, Producer and Editor.
@tunkalai
Nasawali Leslie
Mumasaba, Uganda
Bio
Nasawali is a non-profit communications specialist, filmmaker and documentary visual storyteller with over 8 years of experience. He has a strong passion for telling human-interest stories and capturing authentic moments that tell a compelling story. He has used his skillset and passion to assist various non-profit organisations both local and international to personify their work while enabling their audiences to gain a deeper understanding of the impactful community initiatives they undertake through the art of storytelling. Nasawali’s work has taken him to remote corners of the world, where he has had the privilege of documenting the lives of people from all walks of life.
@nasawali
Vonley W. Smith
Karlingo, Garifuna, Trinidad and Tobago
Bio
Vonley Smith is a creative filmmaker skilled in the areas of cinematography, editing and directing. His films have been screened at regional and international film festivals, including Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival (2021), Hairouna Film Festival (2021) and Caribbean Tales International Film Festival (2021). Vonley is currently working towards his first feature film.
@soulvws
Carlos Enqueri Omene
Waorani, Ecuador
Bio
Carlos is a documentary film maker who lives in the community of Waorani Titepare, in the Amazonian Region of Ecuador. His role involves the showcasing and storytelling of Waorani lives through his audio-visual productions. A few years ago he started visiting several territories where he noticed a big impact from the oil and mining industries. At that moment, he decided to start telling his people about these environmental disasters using short videos, with the intention of reminding them that the future depends entirely on the protection of the forest and raising awareness about how serious the impact of pollution is. Carlos is an environmentalist and believes that this is a position any indigenous person should hold. Since he had no other choice but to learn about the struggles of the Waorani resistance, he started to work with Alianza Ceibo – an organization which is supported by local foundations and aims at raising awareness about the environmental and cultural impacts caused by the oil industry.
@carlosenqueri87
Eduardo Ferreira
Pataxó, Brazil
Bio
Eduardo Pataxó (Eduardo Ferreira Pedro), whose indigenous name is Manuhã Pataxó, is a communicator, photographer, activist, and indigenous youth leader from the Pataxó people of the Tibá Village, in the Comexatibá Indigenous Territory (Prado, Bahia). He participated in the Micro-Grant Program for Indigenous Reporters developed by Agência Pública in partnership with the Norwegian Support Program for Indigenous Peoples. He comes from a family of great matriarchs and leaders of the Pataxó people: he is the great-grandson of Zabelê, grandson of Jolina (Jurema), and son of Rosa and Mãdin Pataxó, a leader in the Rio do Cahy Village. Following in the footsteps of his relatives, Eduardo is an activist for his people’s rights in political and institutional spheres. For over 10 years, he has been lecturing on youth, culture, love, and the protection of Mother Nature, always empowering Pataxó youth to honor their roots.
@eduardopataxo
Kynan Tegar
Iban, from Sungai Utik, Indonesia
Bio
Kynan (She/Her) is an Indigenous storyteller from the Iban people of present day West Borneo, Indonesia. Living in and around the longhouse of Sungai Utik, Kynan learns directly from the elders, listening to and capturing their stories of resistance in the face of encroaching deforestation and the lasting scars of colonialism in the region. Picking up her first camera as an inquisitive twelve-year-old, Kynan was making her first short films soon after. These films not only serve as a glimpse of the Iban’s way of life told through an emic lens, but are also actively used as tools for advocacy. Through filmmaking, activism, and policy engagement, Kynan amplifies the voices of indigenous communities and articulates the challenges that they face, and explores emerging pathways in understanding what it means to be Indigenous. Currently an undergraduate student in anthropology at Universitas Indonesia, Kynan has showcased her work and begun critical discussions in spaces such as Columbia University, the New York Climate Week, the American Natural History Museum, and the UNFCCC COP 29.
@kynantegar
Ana María Jessie Serna
Raizal, Colombia
Bio
Ana Maria Jessie Serna is a Caribbean filmmaker, a being of salt rooted to her ancestral territory. Her community, emancipated over two hundred years ago, finds its freedom intrinsically tied to the sea. She witnesses the ongoing attempts to erase her Raizal culture through industry, tourism, and colonial deceit, yet she sees its resistance—like the manglares, rooted steadfast against the hurricanes. Ana safeguards her community’s struggle through her lens, using filmmaking as an instrument for memory. To make cinema from the territory is to converse with fishers, dig into the earth, and swim in oceanic blues. Her work is a defiant declaration to the world: the Raizal people rise daily. Despite those who would take their shores or poison their lands, she answers the waves that speak to her, continuing to carve a path with images that will do justice to their history.
@manitajessie
Abakar Toya Issabi
Mbororo, Djafoun clan (nomadic Fulani), Central African Republic (CAR)(RCA)
Bio
Abakar Toya Issabi is a young jurist from the Indigenous Mbororo community in the Central African Republic, a country in Central Africa. He is an activist for the protection of his community’s rights and an environmental defender. Now in his thirties, he began from a young age—in primary school, secondary school, at university, and now within an Indigenous organization—to demand the recognition of Indigenous peoples’ rights, their participation in decision-making and public life, the recognition of their ancestral and cultural lands, the promotion of their culture, and the safeguarding of their traditional knowledge. These struggles led, at the state political level, to the signing of Convention 169 on the Rights of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples.
@Abakartoyaissabi
Elysée Mopipi
Tembo, Congo-Kinshasa (DRC)
Bio
Elysée Mopipi is a daughter of the forests and mountains of Eastern DRC. Her country, rich in biodiversity, has been marked by war, causing trauma and threats to her community’s values and environment. As a guardian of this fragile nature, she carries the legacy of her ancestors to preserve the environment. As a member of REPALEAC (Network of Indigenous and Local Populations for the Sustainable Management of Forest Ecosystems in Central Africa), she fights for the protection of biodiversity and the love of her land. Her journey bears witness to resilience and hope, committed to preserving her identity in the face of the challenges of our time.
@elly2mpson
Crispin Nawej Tshimwish
Ruund, Congo-Kinshasa (DRC)
Bio
Crispin Nawej is of Congolese nationality. He is 35 years old. He is committed to promoting the culture and knowledge of the Indigenous Pygmy peoples. “The Indigenous Pygmy peoples are the first inhabitants of my country, the Democratic Republic of Congo, located in Central Africa. These peoples are often marginalized and their rights are violated; their children do not have the opportunity to attend school to receive a proper education and prepare for their future. Yet this is a people who still preserve their ancestral culture. Their lives depend largely on the forest, where they hunt and gather, and also on medicinal plants for healing.” His commitment to promoting Pygmy knowledge aims to advocate to decision-makers so that their rights are respected and they too can live like every human being.
Arthémon Katihabwa
Batwa, Burundi
Bio
Arthémon Katihabwa is a Burundian lawyer and human rights advocate who is currently the Minister of Justice, Human Rights, and Gender in Burundi. Born in the mid-1980s, his early life was shaped by the hardships of the Burundian civil war, including a two-year period at a young age in a rebel group before he chose to return to school. Overcoming poverty and studying by candlelight, he pursued a law degree from Hope Africa University, later earning a scholarship to study human rights mechanisms in Geneva. Before his ministerial appointment in 2025, Katihabwa worked as a lawyer, founded a youth association for the Batwa community (AJBD – Actions des Jeunes Batwa pour le Développement Durable), and served as the Permanent Secretary of the High Council of the Judiciary, grounding his leadership in a commitment to justice, dialogue, and serving marginalized communities.
Prince Kumar
Maithili, India
Bio
Prince Kumar comes from the Mithila region of Bihar, India, and is currently studying at the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), where stories breathe in every frame. He is a filmmaker, an editor, and a passionate storyteller. His journey has taken him from youth advocacy with UNICEF India to gender justice with Oxfam India, and most recently, to the UNDP’s Global Programme on Nature for Development, using the camera not just to record, but to remember, to reimagine. He believes in stories that play. Stories that question. Stories that stay. Whether it’s animating a childhood tale or editing a documentary across distant lands, he tries to uncover the quiet truths hidden between images. Because from Prince, when the world forgets, cinema remembers. He is constantly editing, creating, learning, so that somewhere, someone dares to dream differently.
@the_filmy_prince
Irenge Matoleo Glod
Congolonese (local community), Burundi
Bio
Glod is a Congolese storyteller and filmmaker who was born in Goma, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Due to conflict, insecurity, and volcanic eruptions, he was forced to leave his homeland and relocate to Burundi. His homeland Goma is a place of fertile volcanic soil and endless challenges; where the mountains rise above Lake Kivu and the streets echo with both joy and fear; where families rebuild their lives again and again after war, after eruptions, after everything. Even as a refugee, he has never let these hardships silence him. Instead, they have given him countless stories—narratives of resilience, of identity, of communities that refuse to disappear. Living in Bujumbura, he has discovered that Burundi is rich with cultural treasures. This amazing country holds a thousand indigenous traditions, waiting to be revealed to the world.Through his work, he is committed to sharing these stories. To show that even in displacement, there is inspiration. Even in exile, there is belonging.
@glod_i.m
Gloria Mathias Eino
Kokopi, Papua New Guinea
Bio
Gloria Mathias Eino is a freelance filmmaker and advocate for change who has been working in the field since 2017. What began as a pursuit of passion has become a dedicated craft, rooted in her deep commitment to humanity, environmental conservation, and the preservation of her country’s rich cultural diversity. As an indigenous Melanesian of Papua New Guinea, storytelling is central to Gloria’s identity. She views media as a powerful vessel for sharing and safeguarding her people’s narratives, believing firmly in the ability of a single voice to guide others toward the help and direction they need. Balancing work and study, Gloria currently freelances in filmmaking while pursuing a Bachelor’s in Communication for Development at the Papua New Guinea University of Technology. Her work is driven by a belief in telling stories that matter. In 2020, she became a strong advocate for sustainable development following the release of her documentary Numu’s Rice Policy, which is available on YouTube. A feature film, one of her most significant projects to date, is set for release soon.
Elisha Thompson
Nyakyusa, Tanzania
Bio
Elisha Thompson is a Tanzanian filmmaker based in East Africa. Since beginning his career, he has focused on producing documentary films for community development, driven by a firm belief in the power of images to create meaningful change. His connection to storytelling deepened through his work with the Hadza community, whom he met while filming a wildlife conservation documentary about the killing of spotted hyenas in Lake Eyasi. During his time there, he learned of the challenges facing the Hadza, particularly the land conflicts arising from outside intruders—primarily livestock keepers—moving onto their territory. As a community that neither keeps livestock nor farms, the Hadza depend entirely on the land’s natural resources, leaving them increasingly vulnerable. Moved by the situation, Elisha chose to amplify Hadza’s voice at A Day on Earth, advocating for their land to be legally recognized in order to prevent further conflict with intruders.
@elitson
Choeun Van
Kreung, Cambodia
Bio
Choeun Van is a member of the Kreung people. Hailing from a small indigenous village in Ratanakiri, Cambodia, he has always been enthusiastic about sharing indigenous culture and issues with the world. In 2021, together with two friends—one Kreung and one Tumpoun—he formed a team called Eisan Media (Northeastern Media) to amplify his own voice alongside those of indigenous communities across Cambodia through social media, creating documentaries showcasing indigenous cultures and traditions in their spare time with the optimistic belief that they can play a role in preserving vanishing cultures and saving traditions on the brink of disappearance. Based in Ratanakiri, a province in northeastern Cambodia where the majority of indigenous people reside, his team participated in a micro-grant program to document the lost culture and traditional knowledge of the Kreung people near Virakchey National Park, working to promote and raise awareness of the culture, biodiversity, and Mother Nature that have always been significant to their community and future generations.
@eisan_media
Jatiswara Mahardika
Suku Sasak, Indonesia
Bio
Jatiswara Mahardika is a 34-year-old Indonesian national and an indigenous member of the Sasak tribe from Lombok Island, Indonesia, where he grew up in a strong cultural community. He began filming documentaries in 2016, a calling that emerged after witnessing a fishing village confront the destructive practices of bombing, coral mining, and using potassium; realizing that such temporary methods would endanger their grandchildren’s future, the community returned to the roots of their culture—honoring the sea as the source of their livelihood and allowing it the rest needed to renew itself. Today, Jatiswara remains active in telling cultural stories through film across his island.
@jatiswaramahardika
Yosef Levi
Krowe, Indonesia
Bio
Yosef Levi hails from Maumere, Flores, where his ancestors once lived north of Mount Gai before being relocated to villages during the Dutch colonial era for the purposes of education and the spread of the Catholic faith. After the relocation, his grandparents returned to living in a house on the garden land for economic reasons, and since childhood Yosef often visited the garden, staying overnight at his grandfather’s house where he would listen to the sounds of birds and learn about the symbols of nature from his elders, grandmother, and aunts. Following high school, he left home to continue his education in Jayapura, Papua, spending over a decade there and meeting indigenous people from various tribes, from whom he learned about the forest as the mother of life for humanity and why indigenous Papuans fight to defend their forests from large corporations such as palm oil companies. Now returned to Maumere, Yosef frequently goes to the garden to tend to the land while making documentaries about local stories, including one project featuring his father and aunt.
@yosep.levi
Peregrino Gonzalo Chaeta
Ese Eja, Peru
Bio
Peregrino Gonzalo Shanocua Cha is an Indigenous storyteller from the Ese Eja People in the Madre de Dios region of Peru. For the past two years, he has trained as an Indigenous communicator, developing a passion for photography and filmmaking. In 2021, he created a short documentary about his community’s experience with illegal mining, which led to an invitation to present his work at the Jackson Wild Summit.
@peregrinogonzaloshanocua
Ville Fofonoff
Sami, Finland
Bio
Ville Fofonoff is a Sámi photographer from the magnificent wilderness of Inari, at the heart of Sámi culture. Highly open-minded and rarely one to turn down a challenge, he approaches every project with enthusiasm and creativity, ensuring that every picture tells a story—whether capturing a special event, preserving cherished memories, or showcasing the beauty of Lapland. His portfolio spans several genres of photography, and over the years he has had the privilege of working with clients of all ages and backgrounds, as well as with animals. Based in Upper Lapland, particularly the Inari and Utsjoki areas, Ville is always eager to discover new places and adventures across Finland.
@villeffff
Renan Kokoyamatxi Suyá
Khisêdjê, Brazil
Bio
Kokoyamaratxi Renan Suya (also known as Renan Khisetje) is an indigenous filmmaker, director, photographer, and communicator from the Khisetje people, residing in the Khikatxhi village, Wawi Indigenous Land in Mato Grosso, Brazil. In 2008, he took part in the audiovisual workshop held by Vídeo nas Aldeias in partnership with the Khisetje Indigenous Association (AIK). In 2021, he completed the communication course Guerreir@s Digitais, promoted by indigenous organizations from three states of the Brazilian Amazon. Between 2021 and 2024, he participated in the Professional Development Program for Emerging Filmmakers, and in 2023 he took part in Indigenous Imaginarium, a workshop with artists, directors, and producers from Hollywood in Los Angeles. That same year, he received an Honorable Mention from the official jury for his short film Corrida de Tora at the 8th edition of Cine Kurumin in 2021. Currently serving as one of the Coordinators at AIK Produções and as a member of Mídia Indígena, a network of communicators within the Xingu+ network, Renan views his camera as a tool of resistance, through which he carries the voices of indigenous leaders to the world.
@renankhisetje
Shayres Ferreira
Pataxó, Brazil
Bio
Shayres Pataxó is a 21-year-old Pataxó woman and a university student at Federal University of the Sourth of Bahia (UFSB), where she is pursuing a degree in Language and Its Technologies. In addition to her studies, she teaches seven subjects at the Coroa Vermelha Indigenous School (CEICV) and is the mother of Inaê and Akin. She is a communicator with Sarã Pataxó, a collective of young Pataxó women, and is also a member of ANAI (Indigenist Action Association) and UJS (Union of Socialist Youth). Guided by the strength of her ancestors, she lives in Coroa Vermelha village, where her essence is strengthened by the land, the sea, and the memory of her people. She carries within her the sacredness of being a daughter, granddaughter, and mother—a living continuation of a history that resists and flourishes. Shayres walks with faith, courage, and love, honoring her roots and building a prosperous future for her family.
@eita_sereiaa
Genilson Guajajara
Guajajara , Brazil
Bio
Genilson Guajajara is from the Rio Pindaré Indigenous Territory in Maranhão, Brazil. He belongs to the Guajajara people, from the small and proud village of Piçarra Preta. A thoughtful and emotive storyteller, he expresses the stories of his community through photography. His work explores themes related to community, ancestral wisdom, indigenous cosmology, ritual, and ceremony. Genilson uses photography as a tool, allowing him the opportunity to carefully communicate the stories of his people in a truthful and considered manner. His people’s resistance is inextricably intertwined with the vital territories and biomes they strive to protect. In 2021, he was nominated for the PIPA Prize, a prestigious Brazilian arts award.
@genilsonguajajara
Juan Catín
Mapuche, Chile
Bio
Juan Catín Cheuqueman is a guardian of the land and sea, a proud member of the Mapuche-Williche people, and president of the Indigenous Community of Buill in Chile. Rooted in ancestral wisdom and a deep connection to nature, his trajectory began within the community organization before being elected president, dedicating himself to recovering, maintaining, and preserving his people’s customs and traditions. Compelled by the threat of large industry encroaching on their waters, he took on the responsibility of advancing an ECMPO process to safeguard the sea. Through leadership and community platforms, Juan fights to keep the sea free, clean, and alive so that future generations may inherit a world as abundant as the one his ancestors knew, guided by a vision of sustainability and the defense of the ecosystems that sustain Mapuche-Williche life.
@jean_catin
Nad MA
Culhuacan, Mexico
Bio
Nad MA is a multidisciplinary artist and cultural manager from Mexico City, originating from Culhuacán, CDMX. Their work explores the connections between audiovisual production, art, corporealities, and the configuration of space and territory. For over eight years, they have dedicated themselves to building connections and managing community projects, ranging from workshops, gatherings, and festivals focused on themes of social relevance such as cultural rights, sexual diversity, territorial defense, preservation and exchange of community knowledge, the environment, and collective care. Their practice is framed within art as well as activism, and they are part of various collectives that resist within the rural-urban context.
@artetransmutante_
A Day on Earth captures everyday acts of love and protection for Mother Earth — all filmed on a single day: Earth Day, April 22, 2025.
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