Ethnographic Storyteller Piguame Explores Cinema as Ceremony, Reclaiming the Sacred through Indigenous Filmmaking

July 01, 2025 at 12:22 PM EDT

Indigenous storytelling and spiritual cinema come together under the artistic vision of filmmaker Emilios Goutas, using the artistic name Piguame. After collaborating with native communities across the Americas for over 15 years, Piguame shares his work with the world to showcase these Indigenous stories.

Throughout history, stories have been passed from one generation to the next, usually through oral or written histories. For visionary Mexican filmmaker Emilios Goutas, that mission became his life’s work. After working directly with Indigenous communities across the Americas for years, Goutas recently released his debut film, “Itsanaxa,” at the World Film Festival in Cannes under his artistic name, Piguame.

“This film is not mine,” Piguame said. “It belongs to the ancestors, to the land, and to the people who trusted me to listen. Itsanaxa is a seed for the future.”

“Itsanaxa” delves into the world of the Wixárika village in Mexico. The documentary depicts the life of a healer and his sacred harvest. Piguame explores the group’s beliefs with reverence, committing the stories and practices to another medium that can perhaps be passed down to future generations. Piguame sees his work as a spiritual documentarian and cultural preservationist. Filmmaking allows him to become an ancestral memory keeper, both to honor the lives and accomplishments of all the ancestors who came before, and to ensure they are never forgotten.

“Cinema, for me, is ceremony,” Piguame said. “It’s a way of remembering what the modern world is trying to forget.”

“Itsanaxa” follows the Wixárika through many of its cultural practices related to the sacred harvest of corn, which is vital to their healing and spiritual journeys. Under the guidance of Mara'akame (healer and spiritual leader), Don Pablo Carrillo and his son Miguel Carrillo, Piguame and his crew travel to the sacred place and learn how the Wixárika sow, weed, nourish, and harvest the corn that is so vital to the village.

As a slow cinema advocate, Piguame believes the process is just as important as the end result, and in some cases, more so. “Itsanaxa” is a singular work drawn from nearly two decades of field-based research and first-hand knowledge. The film is both a cultural document and a spiritual experience, exploring and emphasizing the themes of legacy, ceremony, and cultural resistance through the Wixárika worldview.

“We didn’t go to film the Wixárika—we walked with them. We listened, we shared, and only then, the story revealed itself,” Piguame said.

Piguame joined the Wixárika as they renewed their traditional posts and sacred temples, a practice they undergo every five years. He also learned about the sacred place of corn and how the village manages diseases in the crop. Don Toño Carillo and his family graciously opened their doors to Piguame’s crew to share their lives, culture, and sacred practices with the filmmaker.

“Itsanaxa” shares a story of resilience, dedication, and a steadfast commitment to preserving the teachings of the past for future generations. The Wixárika don’t just understand that the actions they take today may not benefit them individually—they plan for it, teaching the younger village members the sacred practices so they can continue into the next generation.

“Itsanaxa” performed well at the World Film Festival in Cannes, receiving international recognition and earning awards. The film continues to screen globally, creating emotional connections with the audience and bridging cultures, generations, and landscapes through cinema.

Piguame’s successful debut paves the way for future projects exploring and preserving cultural practices and knowledge through sacred storytelling and indigenous filmmaking. As an intensely dedicated immersive visual artist dedicated to eco-conscious practices and creating cross-cultural bridges, Piguame believes his work can serve as a native wisdom ally. Perhaps in the future, the next generation will be able to access their ancestors through archives, making Piguame’s vision of a healer through cinema a reality. Until then, the visionary director and independent filmmaker will continue to delve deep into each culture he explores, learning with the heart of a spiritual documentarian.

Join Piguame’s artistic journey on YouTube and IMDB. Follow Piguame on Instagram for social media updates and news about upcoming projects. Email the filmmaker with questions or comments about his work.

Media Contact
Company Name: Piguame Films
Contact Person: Emilios Goutas
Email: Send Email
Country: Mexico
Website: https://www.instagram.com/piguame_films/

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Ethnographic Storyteller Piguame Explores Cinema as Ceremony, Reclaiming the Sacred through Indigenous Filmmaking

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