La Comunidad

– Documentary, 51' 28'', 2010

For Pro Latina and FEPP - Fondo Ecuatoriano Populorum Progressio

Directed and Edited by Roland von Tessin
Camera by Ramon Giger
Communication by Dominique Cabernard

Winner "CASSA RURALE DI TRENTO SOLIDARITY AWARD" Trento Filmfestival 2011

On a plateau 3600 meters above sea level, the morning sun shines on the hills and fields, the wind refreshes the senses and the view gets lost somewhere in the distance. Around midday, clouds are slowly getting pushed upwards. Wafts of mist splash over the edge. Sunshine and fog take turns.

The non fiction film "La Comunidad" portrays a visionary community in the Andes of Ecuador. Independent, grounded and solidly united, the community faces the harsh environment. This way of living demands that the collective is put above the individual. Observations, interviews and landscapes take the audience on a journey through a snap-shot of a community situated between tradition and progress.

After dusk, two families come together in a clay hut, the light is low, the people are warming up the little room: an engagement is celebrated. The atmosphere is affected by solicity and by fierce lecturing. The celebration continues till the wee hours of the morning. A new day begins.