The idea of the embassy was to participate in the national day in the exterior of the country in order to bring representations of the rich cinematic culture of Mexico to Berlin. Thus the embassy settled on the film Mara’akame’s Dream, for its poignant representation of indigenous Mexican culture in the backdrop of the contemporary melting pot that is the sprawling urban landscape of Mexico City.

The film follows a young boy named Nieri, of the indigenous Huichol peoples native to the Sierra Madre Occidental range in now what is known as Mexico, whose dream is to travel with his band to play a concert in Mexico City. Though Nieri may have dreams of Mexico City, his father (who is a Mara’akame or Huichol Shaman) has different plans for his son. Nieri’s father tells him that he must find the blue deer in his dreams and follow his father’s path in becoming a Mara’akame and adhere to his tradition. Nieri follows his path to Mexico City where he winds up getting lost but finds a vision of his own.

The film explores the seeming contradiction between tradition and modernity all while exploring the concept of indigenous identity within contemporary Mexico and the urban cosmopolitanism of Mexico City. An homage to the ambiguity felt with regards to identity in this rapidly globalizing world scape, both relatable in existential nature and urgent in terms of empowering indigenous voices. The total runtime of the film is 90 minutes, and is a recommended watch for anyone interested in Mexican cinema.

• - https://www.ficg.mx/32/index.php/es/panorama-internacional/1046-el-sueno-del-mara-akame