Yahoo Lifestyle Spain’s Jur Jur Boards Peruvian Berlin Forum Player ‘Punku’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Spanish production company Jur Jur Productions has boarded as a co-producer of “Punku,” the latest film from Peruvian director J.D. Fernández Molero, which world premieres in the Forum section of this year’s 75th Berlin International Film Festival.
Punku, which means “gateway” in Quechua, follows the journey of two unlikely companions—Meshia, a Matsigenka Indigenous teenager, and Ivan, a young boy who was presumed dead until she discovers him living in the Peruvian Amazon’s dense jungle. Ivan is slowly losing his sight, and Meshia takes it upon herself to lead him on a harrowing journey upriver toward the city of Quillabamba for life-saving surgery. The film artfully blends fantasy with the stark reality of trauma and survival, weaving a narrative that touches on themes of identity, belonging, and violence in a perilous world.
More from Variety
Variety has been given access to the film’s trailer, which can be seen below.
The film’s storytelling is underscored by its cinematography, which combines 16mm, Super 8 and digital formats, offering a layered visual experience. At its world premiere in Berlin, the film will be screened in a special 35mm format, enhancing the sensation.
Development and production of “Punku” was a painstaking, decade-long exercise in process-based and community-engaged filmmaking, Fernández Molero explained. It’s the biggest project to date from Peru’s non-profit studio Tiempo Libre, behind “Videofilia,” a Rotterdam Tiger winner, and was supported by Tabakalera’s 2deo Audiovisual Lab for residencies in post-production.
“From the very moment we encountered ‘Punku,’ we felt a deep connection with this project. Not only because we admire Juan Daniel Fernández Molero’s unique dedication to cinema—a blend of love and defiance toward its forms and the limits of language—but also because our trajectory as a production company is already rooted in the pursuit of an honest and respectful representation of the Andean and Amazonian worlds,” says María Gisèle Royo, Director of Jur Jur Productions.
“We recognize the tremendous effort and talent of the Tiempo Libre team, particularly in such challenging times. That is why we join this journey with enthusiasm, offering our support and experience to continue rowing together and help Punku connect with audiences around the world,” she adds.
Led by Gisèle Royo, Jur Jur Productions has been making waves in the international film scene, with its previous project, “On the Go,” gaining recognition at the Locarno Film Festival last summer. Now, with “Punku,” Jur Jur is poised to take its collaboration with Latin American cinema to a new level.
According to Tiempo Libre Director Juan Daniel Fernández Molerio, the Jur Jur partnership stands as a “co-production that deepens our commitment to bold, boundary-pushing cinema. This partnership with Jur Jur, whose dedication to innovative storytelling aligns with our own, allows us to expand Punku’s reach and strengthens the film’s journey toward international audiences, ensuring that its exploration of desire, identity, and violence resonates far beyond its origins.”
With the support of Jur Jur Productions, “Punku” is better poised for a long and fruitful post-Berlin festival run. The film’s captivating narrative, visuals and thematic exploration will surely appeal to audiences worldwide.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
