page_title: Embrace of the Serpent
section_title: Production
hierarchical_section_title: Embrace of the Serpent / Production
caption_attribution_description: Español: Los Cerros de Mavecure se encuentran 50 km al sur de Puerto Inírida, sobre el río del mismo nombre. De izquierda a derecha, Cerro Mono (480m) y Cerro Pajarito (712m). English: The Cerros de Mavecure, located 50 km south of Inírida, on the river of the same name. From left to right, Cerro Mono (480m) and Cerro Pajarito (712m).
context_page_description: Embrace of the Serpent is a 2015 Colombian internationally co-produced adventure drama film directed by Ciro Guerra, and written by Guerra and Jacques Toulemonde Vidal. Shot almost entirely in black and white, the film follows two journeys made thirty years apart by the indigenous shaman Karamakate in the Colombian Amazonian jungle, one with Theo, a German ethnographer, and the other with Evan, an American botanist, both of whom are searching for the rare plant yakruna. It was inspired by the travel diaries of Theodor Koch-Grunberg and Richard Evans Schultes, and dedicated to lost Amazonian cultures.
  Embrace of the Serpent was premiered on 15 May 2015 during the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Art Cinema Award. The film was released in Colombia on 21 May 2015, and worldwide over the course of the following twelve months. It has received universal acclaim from critics, who praised the cinematography and the story's theme, the destruction of the Amazon rainforest and way of life by white colonialism. It has won numerous awards, including the Alfred P.
context_section_description: Before production started, the director spent two and a half years researching the Colombian Amazon. They discovered a part of the jungle in the north west that had not yet been heavily affected by tourism or commerce and after gaining permission from the local community, they decided on the location. The pre-production and shooting took place over the course of three months with the help of around 40 people from outside the Amazon and 60 people from indigenous communities within the Amazon. The director extensively collaborated with the community and invited them to participate and collaborate both in front and behind the camera. To avoid any problems caused by the harsh environment, the indigenous people taught the crew how to work with the jungle and performed rituals for spiritual protection. Because of this, there were no accidents or illnesses and the shooting ran smoothly. Additionally, Guerra let the indigenous people translate the script, during which they redrafted parts to make it more accurate.
  Embrace of the Serpent was filmed in the Amazonía region of Colombia. Seven weeks were spent filming in the Department of Vaupés, and one week in the Department of Guainía. Location details include:
  Cerros de Mavicure – three mounds that form part of the westernmost part of the Guiana Shield in northern South America.
  Fluvial Star Inírida – a Ramsar Wetland that includes part of the Inírida River.
  Vaupés River – tributary of the Amazon River that forms part of the international border between Colombia and Brazil.
caption: Cerro Mono and Cerro Pajarito, in the Mavicure Hills, which feature in the film.
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