Genre
Synopsis
Mayerly Gamboa trains to classify for the World Championships in River Rafting. Faring the rapids were not always her path. A peasant farmer, she spent most of her formative years living in a war zone. Since Colombia’s 2016 peace treaty and in collaboration with the United Nations, Mayerly rents out her land to re-incorporated ex-combatants in the township of Miravalle, San Vicente de Caguan. Together farmers and excombatants form a river rafting team, spreading their message of peace to the world. Set in the Colombian Amazon, the film will explore how Mayerly comes into her own, forging a new identity post-war.
Bio
Emily Cohen Ibañezis a Latinx filmmaker with Colombian and Syrian Jewish heritage. She earned her doctorate in Anthropology (2011) with a certificate in Culture and Media at New York University. Her film work pairs lyricism with social activism, advocating for labor, environmental, and health justice. Her directorial feature documentary debut, FRUITS OF LABOR premiered at SXSW 2021 and will be having its international premiere at HotDocs 2021. Emily was a Fulbright Scholar in 2007-2008 based in Colombia, South America; she screened her film BODIES AT WAR in 22 rural Colombian municipalities affected by landmines in partnership with the Colombian Campaign Against Landmines. Emily regularly makes commissioned short films for venues like The Guardian, The Intercept, and Independent Lens. She also contributes cinematography to independent films including Bronx Obama (2014) directed by Ryan Murdock which won a “Best in Fest” award at AFI Docs. She is recipient of multiple fellowships and grants including JustFilms Ford Foundation, Firelight Media Doc Lab, 4th World Indigenous Media Lab, Field of Vision, Berkeley Film Foundation, and BVAC National Media Maker amongst others.
Credits
Cesar Rodriguez - Co-Producer
Sara Dosa - Producer
Shane Boris - Consulting Producer
