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Forest of the Dancing Spirits
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Forest of the Dancing Spirits
IDFA 2013

Forest of the Dancing Spirits

De dansande andarnas skog
Linda Västrik
Sweden, Canada
2013
104 min
European Premiere
Festival history
IDFA Special Jury Award for First Appearance, in honor of Peter Wintonick

Akaya is late into her pregnancy, and she's worried. Her firstborn died in childbirth, and if it happens again people will try to persuade her husband to divorce her. Children are extremely important to the Aka, a tribe of pygmies in the rainforest of the Congo Basin. This documentary focuses on their way of life, rituals, myths and legends, as well as their personal dramas. While the camera captures everyday activities, one of the village elders talks about the origins of the Aka and how the god Komba – not the creator, but the discoverer of the world – brought women and men together. We also learn about relations with the neighboring Ngandu tribe, a Bantu people who control the Aka as serfs. These "owners" make extensive use of the Aka's skill in hunting, fishing and collecting honey from the woods. But if they are not satisfied, there is trouble. As with the threat to their land from a logging company, this is just another fact of life for the Aka. is a film that remains close to its subject and sketches an honest portrait of a unique society.

Credits
Director
Co-production
    Film i Väst
    Film i Väst
Involved TV Channel
    YLE,
    NRK,
    SVT
    YLE,
    NRK,
    SVT
Screening copy
    Swedish Film Institute
    Swedish Film Institute