Manuel Chambi

Directing

Biography

He was born in Cusco in 1924. Together with his brother Víctor Chambi and other important Peruvian filmmakers, he founded the Cine Club del Cusco. His works reflected the social reality of the people, the peasantry, and indigenous communities, showcasing the Andean universe and its inhabitants. He filmed El Corpus del Cusco (1955), a record of the Catholic celebration of Corpus Christi. The documentary is considered the foundational piece of the so-called Cusco School. His subsequent works, Lucero de Nieve (1957) and Carnaval de Kanas (1956), also achieved international recognition, winning awards at the Reseña de Cine Latinoamericano de Santa Margarita in Italy.

Filmography Movies

Acting

MOVIE

The Principal Enemy

10.0(0.0K)

In the remote Andean highlands of Peru, a tight-knit indigenous peasant community has endured generations of brutal exploitation by local landowners. When a shocking act of violence exposes the complete failure of the official justice system to protect them, the villagers’ simmering anger pushes them toward a crossroads.

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The Principal Enemy

Self

Production

MOVIE

El Corpus del Cusco

This short-film is the first production of Cine Club Cusco, directed by Manuel Chambi and filmed in 16 mm on reversible film. It is a visual tour of the religious festival in Cusco of Corpus Christi.

Danzante de Tijeras

The danzaq, or scissor dancer, from Ayacucho, Huancavelica, or Apurimac, is the only dancer in the Americas into whose body, according to legend, a magical spirit enters: the Wamani, god of the mountains, water, or air. In the counterpoint dances performed at major festivals, it is not two men who confront each other, but rather two earth gods, accompanied by the music of the harp and violin, which represent all the sounds of nature. Its origins date back to the pre-Columbian era, when certain privileged men were chosen by their fellow men to represent them.