Awakening Iztaccíhuatl
The Sleeping Woman
Catalina, a filmmaker, sets out on a spiritual quest for healing under the guidance of indigenous medicine women to overcome the grief of her father. Catalina shares their ancestral wisdom to support others' journeys and brings new meaning to her sacred pilgrimage and the making of the film itself.
Plot Summary
The unexpected loss of my father on the road between Mexico and the United States catalyzes a healing quest of immersion into Mesoamerican indigenous communities.
Having been granted permission from elders to film, I capture indigenous rituals and healing practices in a way few have had access to bear witness. Curanderas, indigenous medicine women elders, are integral to my rewilding back to the divine feminine and stepping into my identity, power, sexuality and ancestry. Tragically, the violent death of one of these women elders, sends me back into grief.
Out of the necessity to look within rather than to others for my healing, I “awaken.” My family scatters our father’s ashes, finally coming full circle in our collective healing. Through this cathartic experience I realize that I want to extend my healing journey outward by hosting spiritual retreats that build and heal community, inviting curanderas as facilitators. This documentary becomes a medicine film that shines light on ancestral ways of healing to support others in their journeys.
My name is Catalina “Cata” Ausin and I am a bicultural Mexican-American queer woman. For the first half of the documentary, I am primarily behind the camera and take the viewer on a nonlinear journey through my point of view with voice-overs. For the second half of the documentary, as I become more empowered as a woman through this healing journey, I step out from behind the camera into the frame to become an active participant in my transformation.
Elder curanderas from several indigenous communities.
Abuela Mayahuel(Aztec)
Abuela Guadalupe(Zapotec)
Maestra Olivia(Shipibo)
Abuela Vitelia(Cofán)
Teotihuacán, Mexico
Medicine woman from Teotihuacán and civil defender of the cultural heritage of Mexico.
Oaxaca, Mexico
Medicine woman and medium from the Zapotec region in Oaxaca.
Peruvian Amazon
Medicine woman who worked with ayahuasca (medicinal plant), singer of icaros (traditional medicine songs), and an activist protecting cultural and environmental heritage of the Amazon jungle.
Putumayo, Colombia
Medicine woman of traditional indigenous plants, singer of icaros (traditional medicine songs), and protector of Cofán traditions and of the Amazon jungle.
There is full access to main and supporting characters. In 2012, I accompanied several Mayan and Mexica (Aztec) elders on a sacred pilgrimage through the Lacandon jungle in Chiapas. The elders sat in council for two days discussing whether they would grant me permission to document this ceremonial pilgrimage to sacred sites. Having this permission gave me access to indigenous culture that few filmmakers have had.
Embracing my identity as a queer Mexican American woman has allowed me to dig deep into connecting to my ancestral roots and finding my voice as a filmmaker. I have always been attracted to ancient indigenous cultures, and the power of their rituals and ceremonies, and find richness in the realms that these cultures travel across seamlessly.
Since 2010, I have been documenting on and off and that work includes interviews with indigenous elders, verité scenes of a three-week pilgrimage El Sendero del Jaguar (The Jaguar's Journey) through the Lacandon jungle, “the Mexican Amazon.” In 2012, I was invited to document Mayan and Mexica “Aztec” leaders and indigenous cultural activities that include ceremonies, rituals and healing practices. This footage was filmed throughout Mexico, the United States, and the Amazon Jungle in Peru.
I want to finish production with several interviews of curanderas (indigenous medicine women elders) and complete post-production on the documentary Awakening Iztaccihuatl. As the story is my personal healing journey, I am the protagonist and will guide the audience through voice-over. As I struggle with standing solidly in the dualities of my bicultural and bisexual identities, I continue to search for mechanisms to cope with grief.
For the first half of the documentary, I am primarily behind the camera and take the viewer on a non-linear journey through my point of view with voice-overs. For the second half of the documentary, as I become more empowered as a woman through this journey, I step out from behind the camera into the frame to become an active participant in my transformation. There will be four main supporting characters: elder curanderas from several indigenous communities.
I document along the journey, capturing in vivid imagery what I cannot express with words. As a cinematographer, I have developed my eye in a way that allows me to incorporate the natural elements of the environment and also complement the "mise-en-scene". The richness of these experiences as a cinematographer was awakened within me during my early childhood, but came to life during my research and photographic journeys abroad from Mexico and Guatemala to Europe. Traveling across an array of lands, cultures and languages, I have been able to caress the delicate colors, textures, lines, and light that appear in front of my photographic lens in the form of a photograph.
The visuals of this film, more than the accompanying narration, is what will distinguish the storytelling. Imagery can get to places that language can’t. My unique style of expression utilizes elements of magical realism.
Just like the bicultural, conflicted divide that exists within the main character and the dualities she exists in between, the style of the film will oscillate between opposites. During some parts of the narrative, there will be saturated colors, high contrast and slow, wide camera movements.
Beautiful time lapse videos that capture the essence of sunsets, or the rising full moon. In other moments, dramatic events will be captured with fast movement and desaturation captured through gritty visuals to bring the viewer into that moment. Through the raw organic feel of the super 8mm film we are introduced to the sacred ceremonies with indigenous elders.
Additionally, staying true to Latin America’s magical realism, there will be animation scenes throughout. For all the magical realism, ancient myths, personal insights of consciousness, and spiritual awakening a mix of 2-D animation and special effects will be used to enhance the images.
Scrolling paintings will be created to form the story. The sound design will include a mixture of natural sounds, electronic vibrational sounds whenever necessary to enhance the experience, traditional music and a mixture of contemporary electronic ‘medicine’ music.
Story Structure
The story structure is similar to Victoria Schmidt’s version of the “Heroine's Journey” in Three Acts. However, just as healing is nonlinear and not a simple progression from A to B, the storyline is also nonlinear and will spiral off into supporting characters' journeys. The three acts ground the story by hitting key milestones in Catalina’s journey.
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The style of the documentary mirrors the vivid colors and texture demonstrated in indigenous traditions and stories passed on from generation to generation, and their ardent quest to connect with a higher being and alternative life rhythms. In a global world, it is more important than ever to document as honorable testimony the ancient traditions, rituals and language of indigenous culture.
Seeking out and providing a platform for women’s voices to support their process of rewilding back to the divine feminine. The female characters in this film explore identity, intuition, sensitivity, and deep-rooted power. Plant medicine such as ayahuasca and psilocybin mushrooms are becoming more mainstream, but the knowledge sharing is less often led by women, and even less often led by indigenous women.
Coping with deep grief is a universal experience. Grief is the catalyst for the healing journey that leads to collective healing.
This film depicts dualities and polarities experienced by Catalina: bicultural, bisexual, ancient/modern and western/indigenous. After undergoing this healing journey, Catalina discovers a secure identity in between the dualities of the world I live in.
Catalina’s healing quest is the story. She is behind and in front of the camera, and is the central voice of narration throughout.
Catalina’s healing quest is the story in which these grandmothers are interwoven.
Awakening Iztaccihuatl is a grassroots artistic collaboration between modern city dwellers and indigenous communities upholding ancient, pre-colonialist culture. The film incorporates a combination of interviews with a variety of indigenous people, close participation in sacred ceremonies and sacred pilgrimages with native elders.
What makes the creative team be uniquely positioned to produce this documentary is their international educational and professional background and their sensitivity and openness to different cultures. The crew are a well-traveled creative team who are bicultural, bilingual, and experts in their fields.
The team of animators is perfectly suited for this film as they have traveled across Mexico and interviewed 68 ethnic groups, gathering worldviews, parables, and history in the indigenous dialects to transform them into animated stories.
The composer has studied the totoquines, sequences found in codices, to recreate the sound and intention of the sacred rites of the Mexica instruments. In his book Cantares Mexicanos, he writes about the Flor y Canto, the ritual that Catalina participated in during El Sendero del Jaguar.
Catalina’s unique strengths are capturing the essence of emotions and situations on film. As a filmmaker, she has developed her eye in a way that incorporates the natural elements of the environment and also complement the mise-en-scene. With trust granted to her by indigenous communities, her experience within these worlds influenced her work’s vivid color palette and textural elements that honors the beauty of indigenous cultures. Catalina also incorporates Latin America’s signature magical realism.
Born in Mexico and educated in Mexico and the United States (as well as a multitude of other countries) resulting in foreign language skills, Catalina Ausin is particularly suited to lead this project. Raised between two cultures, with Mexican ancestry in an American framework, being bicultural and bilingual has given her a unique observer’s perspective on culture, human behavior, and urgent social issues. She has been closely collaborating with indigenous communities and documenting their ancient wisdom for over a decade.
Catalina’s unique strengths are capturing the essence of emotions and situations on film. As a filmmaker, she has developed her eye in a way that incorporates the natural elements of the environment and also complement the mise-en-scene. With trust granted to her by indigenous communities, her experience within these worlds influenced her work’s vivid color palette and textural elements that honors the beauty of indigenous cultures. Catalina also incorporates Latin America’s signature magical realism.
Catalina’s passion for creating images led her to study Cinematography at the USC School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles, and at FAMU, Film and Television School of The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, Czech Republic. She now freelances as a producer and cinematographer on documentary and fiction feature films. She chooses to collaborate on projects that provide a social, cultural and/or spiritual awakening of consciousness.
Begoña Castillo is a multilingual independent producer with 20+ years of experience producing film and TV projects internationally. She began her career as an independent producer in her home country of Spain, where she produced a dozen shorts, features, TV series, and web series for Spanish audiences.
In 2003, Begoña moved to Los Angeles to pursue an MFA at USC’s famed Peter Stark Producing Program. During her time there, she produced multiple short films and completed internships at Universal Pictures, Weed Road Pictures, Kopelson Entertainment, and NatGeo. After graduation, she and her classmates formed Rusty Bike Studios, a creative collective where they continue to develop and produce independent shorts and features. Begoña has produced 15+ projects through Rusty Bike and other independent banners, and her films The Macabre World of Lavender Williams, Gutshot Straight, Armed Response, and The Employer all had successful festival runs and have been distributed domestically and internationally. She has also produced the Costa Rican film Hombre de Fe, a soccer drama that became the country’s highest-grossing box office film ever and is currently distributed internationally on HBO and Netflix.
Begoña is a lifelong learner who actively takes continuing education courses through UCLA Extension and California Lawyers for the Arts. When she’s not creating films, you can find her visiting art museums, traveling to historic architectural sites, or advocating for environmental preservation alongside her family as a 3rd generation member of the National Geographic Society.
That the indigenous elders have granted access is a huge honor and also a responsibility for me to finish this project and tell their story. I approach their traditions with reverence and respect and portray them in an authentic way. We plan on screening this film in the local communities that are a part of the film.
I am fascinated by magical realism, the Latin American literary genre. My intention is to explore and develop LGBTQ+ and female driven character stories that explore identity, intuition, sensitivity, deep-rooted power and develop my unique style of expression utilizing elements of magical realism.
I would like to continue focusing on medicine film projects that highlight ancestral ways of healing to support others in their personal journeys.
My goal is to help empower the youth to further discover, document and express their identities. In “Itinerary”, Mexican writer Octavio Paz states, “all of us, at some moments have had a vision of our existence as something unique, untransferable and very precious. This revelation almost always takes place during adolescence. Self-discovery is above all the realization that we are alone: it is the opening of an impalpable, transparent wall – that of our consciousness – between the world and ourselves.” I want to provide the youth with the tools to develop their technical skills so that they can have their voices heard. I want to continue to be able to combine my strongest passions in life: traveling, exploring cultures and remote lands, connecting with people, working closely with other artists and filmmakers, and focusing primarily on shooting socially conscious films.
Coping with grief, healing and mental health is important, timely and relevant: the current mental health crisis has been exacerbated by COVID-19 and grieving for those who have lost people to the virus. While we have more modern tools to stay connected than ever, depression has increased despite technological innovation. People are searching for healing, connection and alternatives to prescribed medication. Some are looking to indigenous healing methods and ancestral lineage for identity, belonging, community and connection with the Earth.
Simultaneously, there has been a resurgence of social justice movements to elevate indigenous voices and “land back” sovereignty movements. With this intentional inclusion, there has been widespread integration of ancient indigenous knowledge in medicine, science and agriculture. This film comes at a time where the world is more receptive to receiving indigenous wisdom.
Also concurrently, there has been a momentous shift to awaken the divine feminine. “Women who Run with the Wolves”, a book that archetypes the wild feminine, was published in 1992 but returned in force several years ago. It has become essential reading for those who identify as women in embracing their bodies, instincts, emotional landscapes and power.
Author Clarissa Pinkola Estes is a self-described contadora, a “keeper of old stories”. She writes, “over time, we have seen the feminine instinctive nature looted, driven back, overbuilt”, she writes. But women's flagging vitality can be restored by extensive 'psychic-archeological' digs into the ruins of the female underworld. It is there that we might reveal women’s deepest nature and gain access to the creative feminine”. The stories of the curanderas help women access their deepest nature.
The cultural and social relevance relies on the following: mental health, dealing with grief, and indigenous voices - specifically of women elders and women’s empowerment.
This story has several intended audiences who would benefit from witnessing my healing journey, immersion into Mesoamerican culture, and exposure to curanderas:
- Those with an interest in indigenous medicine and rituals and their ways of healing as an alternative (or complement) to science-based modern medicine.
- Those interested in traveling deeper into ancestral cultures and locations.
- Women-identifying people who find strength in the divine feminine and women empowerment.
- Those in the process of self-discovery and/or life transition.
- Those going through grief seeking spirituality and a path toward healing.
- Students at women & gender studies, Indigenous Studies, Native American Studies and Mesoamerican studies at universities and colleges, in the U.S. and internationally.
In film & television it is rare to find content that relates to healing grief by applying indigenous medicine and rituals, specifically through curanderas. I am addressing the needs and interests of this audience by co-creating this documentary with indigenous communities and doing screenings in those communities film. We have a close partnership with BioTU, a non-profit organization in Mexico promoting sustainability and indigenous wisdom to young adults, children and community members. We plan on doing a tour with their mobile educational program as well as a community screening at the college of CETAC, their educational headquarters in Jocotepec, Lake Chapala, Jalisco. We also have plan on doing screenings with Chiapas Photography Project, NGO in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas and communities nearby. Additionally, I will apply to the Mexican film festival “Ambulante,” a traveling film festival that takes documentary films into the most remote communities of Mexico with less access to resources and media.
Awakening Iztaccihuatl is appropriate for public television because it addresses subjects dealing with grief and the search for one’s own identity and place in the world. It also introduces the audience to another culture’s medicinal practices. Both of these aspects would be of interest to the general public. While plant medicine is a trending topic in mainstream media as more Westerners seek out alternative healing, Mesoamerican indigenous culture is often underrepresented in the storytelling of plant medicine knowledge and women-identifying indigenous medicine women even more so. Awakening Iztaccihuatl will fill the gap of representation and preserve authentic indigenous medicine.
I’ve been granted access by indigenous elders to document their ancestral rituals and tell their story. I take this responsibility very seriously.
I approach their traditions with reverence and will portray them in an authentic way. I want to focus on their ancestral knowledge and bring honor to these traditions by portraying them respectfully. Though we as a production have not completed a full risk assessment, the elders themselves have outlined the safety protocols and made clear the boundaries that must be in place and respected at all times.
In regards to portraying the grandmother Maestra Olivia whom was murdered, we will focus on her teachings and what she brought to her community and the plant medicine world and honor her life.
We plan on screening this film in the local communities that are a part of the film so that the message can travel widely in the community and provide local support. We also plan on applying to "Ambulante" a mobile film festival where films travel to rural and cosmopolitan Mexico.
Our plans to make this film accessible to as much diverse audience as possible and that includes deaf, disabled and neurodiverse audience. We plan on having high-quality captions and audio description (AD) available for our film. In addition, we want to keep in mind blind and partially sighted audiences by having voice over and dialogue which will assist in the film's plot. Whenever possible, we would like to have captioning and sign language interpreters at screenings or at events wherever this film travels.