River Tales

Documentary, 2019, Luxembourg, Director: Julie Schroell, Producer: Jesus Gonzalez-Elvira, Language: Spanish with English and French subtitles, 81 min

The mythic San Juan River, located between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in Nicaragua, symbolizes 500 years of colonization and exploitation of resources and saw over 70 canal projects fail. Now, a Chinese businessman attempts to control the interoceanic route that Columbus desperately looked for when he reached the ‘New World.’

About the Film

Actor and teacher Yemn returns to his native village El Castillo and turns the fortress ruins overlooking the San Juan river into a stage for the local youth theater group, a sanctuary for open discussion and critical thinking.

Winner of the Best Film at Portland EcoFilm Festival, Best Environmental Documentary Award at Close:Up Edinburgh Docufest and the Peripheral Visions Award at Galway Film Fleadh.

“Eminently political, lyrical, evanescent, close to the fable. A precious and necessary documentary.” – Cineuropa

A Conversation with the director Julie Schroell and Nicholas Bell, Chief Film Critic at IONCINEMA.COM follows the film.