Paper short abstract:

This presentation explores how Mẽbêngôkre-Kayapó filmmakers in Amazonia are firmly embedded within complex and intersectional social networks, norms of conviviality, and governance structures that impact the way they make films, pursue their careers, and navigate conflicts over political status.

Paper long abstract:

Mẽbêngôkre-Kayapó filmmakers of the Brazilian Amazon are firmly embedded within complex and intersectional social networks, norms of conviviality, and governance structures that impact the way they make films and pursue their filmmaking careers. This paper describes the entangled sociocultural and political inner workings involved in their filmmaking practices, including different types of social frictions and convivial moments that emerge, are contested, and debated in this process. Of particular interest are "productive frictions" (stresses that develop as the perspectives and practices of Indigenous Peoples, media researchers, Indigenous cultural activists, and media producers rub up against each other in the complex processes of making culture visible. In Mẽbêngôkre-Kayapó filmmaking production history, Terry Turner (1991) described early cases of productive frictions when communities first acquired video cameras. He noted village leaders prioritized video production for collective political and cultural struggles, while simultaneously understanding the power-laden implications of such new positions. Turner concluded his article with questions about whether video would become politicized and controlled by community chiefs or remain a more open field of social praxis available to younger men and women. He also questioned whether Mẽbêngôkre-Kayapó documentarians would have flexibility in the choice of subject matter or be required to follow community prescripts, which he felt would affect Mẽbêngôkre-Kayapó communities and their video representations for future generations. Nearly thirty years later, through our research and collaborative community partnerships with several Mẽbêngôkre-Kayapó villages, along with training workshops, and even film tours by filmmakers in the USA, we can begin to answer Turner’s questions.