Pinawaca invites you deep into the Amazon, where the Rio Marié hides the legendary Peacock Bass. But this is more than a fishing story — it is a journey into centuries-old indigenous traditions, ancestral knowledge, and the deep relationship between people, nature, and the river.
Alongside Jako, the film explores unique Tenkara-like techniques and the craft behind the Pinawaca fly, made from materials found in the jungle itself.
Made from materials found in the jungle itself, the Pinawaca fly carries generations of indigenous knowledge. Through the film, that handmade object becomes a bridge between tradition and one of the Amazon's most iconic fish — the Peacock Bass of Rio Marié.
Filming in the Amazon is never simply about capturing beautiful images. You work around the river. The weather. The available light. The distance. The water. The equipment. And whatever the forest decides to give you that day.
Pinawaca demanded sensitivity as much as technical skill — knowing when to observe, when to move, and how to let the story breathe naturally through the visuals.
Sometimes filmmaking means putting the camera where the story actually happens.
I wanted the visuals to carry the texture of the place: the silence, handmade materials, wildlife, the river, the people, and the feeling that everything there is connected.
I wasn't interested only in documenting what happened. I wanted you to feel where it happened.
After captivating audiences at the IF4 Film Festival, Pinawaca became a story meant to travel even further: an untold look at an indigenous ancient fly, handcrafted deep in the Amazon, and its connection to the Peacock Bass of Rio Marié.