LOOKING FOR WORDS

After a century of slavery during which they were deprived of their land and language, the last Nonuya embark on an odyssey through the Amazonian jungle to find what was lost: their language. “Looking for Words“ follows the Nonuya on their search for the words to reconnect them with the world.

Joel Stängle is an audiovisual producer living in Colombia. Born in the United States, to German parents, his life and films are marked by themes such as culture, memory and narratives underrepresented in the global era. He began his career doing fiction and in 2012 his film Acqua Fuori dal Ring was awarded at the “Festival Internazionale del Film di Roma” shortly after he ventured into non-fiction. In 2014 his documentary Tranquilandia was used as part of a land restitution process that involved more than 66 displaced peasant families on the Colombian coast and was broadcast internationally. His most recent documentary La Niebla de la Paz about the role of memory and war and peace narratives in Colombia premiered in 2020 at FICCI and is currently shown at festivals where he has won several awards.