| The Seer
The 66 year old shaman lives – in what
we would consider poor conditions – in Las Delicias,
a small fishing village which lies on the barren coast
of north Peru. Eduardo is a fisherman, artist and father
of 13 grown-up children. He is honored as one of the
last great shamans of Peru. The shaman performs healing
ceremonies which are centuries old and have been handed
down by masters from generation to generation. Don Eduardos
most important healing ceremony is the «Mesa».
With the help of the hallucinogen «San Pedro»
cactus juice, he puts himself in a trance, and thus
«sees» the patients illness, which he then
treats.
The Blind Man
The blind 51 year old psychologist lives in Münich
with his wife and three children. August became totally
blind in his youth, shortly after he finished his studies.
He undertakes the journey to Eduardo, so that he can
get more «sensibility» for his work as a
kinesiology therapist. August is also the head of the
Seeing Eye Dog Association in Germany.
The Autor
Ricardo Dall’O is a documentary filmmaker and
co-founder of VideoArt AG, Zürich. His works, amongst
others include «Berber Crystal», and the
documentary film «Changing Pictures» which
has been broadcast by Swiss Television SF DRS and 3Sat.
Together with VideoArt he produces industrial and film
commercials but also supports film productions which
thematically show the lives and problems of the Third
World countries and its inhabitants. He and his team
also carry out post-production works for various editorial
offices of SF DRS.
The Film
The filming of «The Seer and the Blind Man»
took a period of six years. The original script had
to be re-written several times, in the middle of the
actual filming, because Don Eduardo had become very
ill. Despite the adverse conditions, the 54 minute documentary
film project could be completed. Working on the project
over the years, created a deep friendship between the
author and the Curandero (Shaman), which made unique
insights possible in what would otherwise be secret
rituals and ways of thinking. We also gain an insight
into personality of a truly fascinating person.
The Film Locations
The film locations were in Münich (August
Rüggeberg’s place of residence) and in Peru.
From Las Delicias – Don Eduardo’s village
– the journey leads to the world famous Inca city
of Machu Picchu, continues on to Trujillo where the
Brujo (witches) market is located, and finally back
to Las Delicias.
The Music
Christoph Stiefel composed the film music. He is one
of the best known Swiss jazz pianists. Christoph Stiefel
played with and arranged for the following musicians:
Andreas Vollenweider, Stiletto, Max Lässer
The Narrator
Amido Hoffman is a widely heard «voice»
of the Swiss film scene, among others NZZ Format, SF
DRS and many documentary films.
The Sound Studio
Andreas Sigg, FM Sound Studio Zürich, arranged
up to 8 digital sound tracks, and stayed with the project
until the final mix.
Film length
54 Minutes
Production
Ricardo Dall'O, Zürich
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