Imagine your world almost destroyed. In the 1970s the Panará people lost nearly everything to the construction of a highway in Brazil — only seventy-nine of them survived. They did not give up. They survived, and as one of the first indigenous peoples to sue their own government, they won.
Today their culture and livelihood rest partly on the beautiful objects they make from glass beads. Because their art demands the highest quality, they use Czech beads, born in the furnaces of Preciosa in Desná.
Through the Crystal Valley Week initiative they accepted an invitation to visit us. The Czech Republic became the very first foreign country they had ever travelled to, and making a documentary about them was a privilege. We captured their open delight at seeing the bead production, the quiet magic of shared tradition, and an unforgettable trip to the glassmakers of the remarkable Liederhaus family near Mělník.
The film was shot through a Portuguese interpreter and screened at the closing night of the festival.
The shoot also produced a bonus film about the making of a glass dragon.