Documentary “We want our water” (Chocó, Ecuador)
On Friday, May 22, at 2:00 p.m. Ecuador time (4:00 p.m. Argentina time), CLACSO.CINE presents the documentary “We want our water"(El Chocó, Ecuador), which was part of the Film Showcase at the X Latin American and Caribbean Conference of Social Sciences #CLACSO2025 in June 2025 in Bogotá, Colombia.
They talk with Gustavo Lema, Director of Communication and Information at CLACSO:
-Juli HazlewoodExecutive Director of Roots & Routes, producer of the documentary
-Karen ErazoYoung participant in the audiovisual training workshops
-Ximena Ron ErráezConstitutional Lawyer
The inhabitants of the Afro-Ecuadorian community of La Chiquita and the Awá indigenous community of Guadualito in the Chocó rainforest on Ecuador's northern coast were once free to roam their forests, drink water, and bathe in their rivers. When the oil palm companies arrived, everything changed: they replaced the native forest with monocultures and polluted the water. Despite this, their cultures remain alive, and young people listen attentively to the life stories of their elders.
Two young people reflect on the material that highlights their struggle for the Rights of Nature and that recounts the violent situation in the Province of Esmeraldas, caused by the oil palm industry and the abandonment by the Ecuadorian state.
The documentary, an intimate look at their daily lives, shares a collective and intercultural process, narrated from the perspective of young people. Many have died as a result of the pollution, but the people remain standing, fighting for reparations and justice. It is a united cry from the defenders of Chocó: We want our water!
https://www.queremosnuestraagua.com
Team:
• General Producer: Juli Hazlewood
• A co-production of Roots & Routes and La Chiquita y Guadualito in collaboration with Selvas Producciones
• Director: Eriberto Gualinga
• Screenwriter: Sergio Venturini, In collaboration with Lucía Galarza
• Original music: Fidel Minda
The team members say:
“This film stems from a struggle of more than two decades against the pollution of our rivers and its effects on the health and lives of our communities. At the end of the last century, between 1998 and 2002, the oil palm boom arrived in our region.
The forests were cut down, the rivers were polluted, the fish and animals died, and our families began to suffer physical, emotional, and spiritual harm.
We were made invisible.
We began legal proceedings in 2002. In 2010, we filed a landmark lawsuit for the Rights of Nature and Good Living (Sumak Kawsay) against two palm oil companies. It was the first lawsuit of its kind in the world.
In 2016, we decided to create a Community Film School so that young people could tell our stories. We started with a short film to share with other organizations.
But when we won the lawsuit for the rights of nature in 2017 and the companies continued to pollute, and the violence also increased, we made the decision to make a documentary that could take our voice much further.
Participation in festivals:
EDOC – Encounters of Other Cinema, International Documentary Film Festival (Quito, Ecuador), 2024.
SUNCINE International Environmental Film Festival, Golden Sun Competition (Barcelona, Spain), 2024.
International Green Film Festival (Santa Cruz, Bolivia), 2024.
Cimarrón International Black Film Festival (Esmeraldas, Ecuador), 2024.
ICARO International Film Festival in Central America (Guatemala), 2024.
Kunturñawi Ecuadorian Film Festival (Ecuador), 2025.
Africa International Human Rights Film Festival (Nigeria), 2025.
Bangkok Movie Awards (Thailand), 2025
4th Dimension Independent Film Festival (Bali, Indonesia), 2025
2nd Galapagos International Film Festival, 2025
Buffalo International Film Festival (United States), 2025
Inside Nollywood International Film Festival & Awards (Nigeria), 2025.
Calgary Independent Film Festival (Canada), 2025.
24th Cuenca International Film Festival (Ecuador), 20265.
Freedom Festival International (United States), 2025.
PIFF Paraná International Film Festival, 9th Edition (Paraná), 2025.
YOPAL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (FICY FESTIVAL) Colombia, 2025
Barcelona Indie Festival. Nominated (Spain), 2026
X Latin American and Caribbean Conference of Social Sciences #CLACSO2025
AWARDS – WINNER
2026
Indiana Independent Film Festival (Indiana, USA) – Winner of the award in the feature-length documentary category.
Hollywood Indie Festival (Los Angeles, California, USA) – Best Documentary Feature, Spring Season.
Barcelona Indie Festival (Barcelona, Spain) – Nominated for best feature-length documentary, spring season.
Calgary Independent Film Festival (Calgary, Canada) – Winner of the award in the feature-length documentary category.
2025
PIFF, Paraná International Film Festival, 9th edition (Paraná, Argentina) – Best documentary.
Freedom Festival International (Columbia, South Carolina, USA) – Best Documentary.
Bangkok Movie Awards (Bangkok, Thailand) – Finalist in the Documentary category.
4th Dimension Independent Film Festival (Bali, Indonesia) – Nomination for best documentary film.
2024
ICARO, International Film Festival in Central America (Guatemala City, Guatemala) – Nomination for best international documentary feature film.
International Green Film Festival (Santa Cruz, Bolivia) – Best International Feature Film.
Cimarrón International Black Film Festival (Esmeraldas, Ecuador) – Best investigative documentary.
OFFICIAL SELECTION
2026
World Water Film Festival (New York, United States).
ECOador, International Environmental Film Festival (Quito, Ecuador).
Inside Nollywood International Film Festival & Awards (Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria).
2025
Africa International Human Rights Film Festival (Ogba, Lagos State, Nigeria).
II Galapagos International Film Festival (Santa Cruz, Galapagos, Ecuador).
Kunturñawi, Ecuadorian Film Festival (Riobamba, Ecuador).
Buffalo International Film Festival (Buffalo, New York, United States) – World premiere in English.
FICY, Yopal International Film Festival (Yopal, Colombia).
Cuenca International Film Festival (Cuenca, Ecuador).
EcoZine International Film Festival (Zaragoza, Spain).
2024
SUNCINE International Environmental Film Festival, Golden Sun Competition (Barcelona, Spain) – World premiere in Spanish. EDOC – Encounters of Other Cinema, International Documentary Film Festival (Quito, Ecuador) – National premiere in Spanish.
