About this project
OUR MAN IN IQUITOS is a documentary film about Ranil, a Peruvian musician, independent radio impresario and political gadfly from Iquitos – the capital of the Peruvian Amazon.
Since he began recording music in the 1970’s, Ranil has transformed himself from a popular player of Amazonian cumbia (also known as chicha) to a beloved local activist and radio personality – and now a mayoral candidate.
Raul Llerena (his given name) was born in Belen, a mostly poor and indigenous neighborhood in Iquitos. As a young man, Ranil went to Lima to study to become a teacher, but returned to Belen upon graduating and was soon fronting his own chicha band. Unlike his peers in local bands Los Silvers or Los Wemblers, Ranil refused to sign on with a label and decided to start his own - a bold move at the time.
Ranil put out a number of popular albums but, due to the independent nature of the venture, his fame never crossed over to the rest of the country. In the early 90’s, not satisfied to simply be a musician, Ranil decided to start his own radio station and quickly became known as an outspoken provocateur who didn’t hesitate to take on the most sensitive issues.
At close to seventy. Ranil shows little sign of slowing down. He is an incredibly vibrant character with a real concern for his fellow Amazonians, a wonderfully generous spirit with a great sense of humor.
Ranil is the true incarnation of independence. He has lived through dictatorships, an oil boom, terrorism, and yet has managed to never compromise.
Ranil is now running for mayor of Belen, and is backed by the well established national party Accion Popular. With their support, there’s a chance he might actually win, and we need your help to fund a trip to Iquitos to shoot his run and the election day.
OUR MAN IN IQUITOS is a film about Ranil and how being a popular musician informs his populist philosophy and provides him a privileged perspective on social issues.
OUR MAN IN IQUITOS is also a film about the city of Iquitos itself. With one million inhabitants and no road access whatsoever, Iquitos is the largest isolated city in the world. Its legend dates back to the rubber boom of the 1890’s that inspired Werner Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo as well as Les Blank’s Burden of Dreams. A city of great riches and extreme poverty, Iquitos has been shaped by unexpected twists of history: the rubber and oil booms, the explosion of Amazonian cumbia, and now tourism around the drug Ayahuasca.
OUR MAN IN IQUITOS will also provide an invaluable look into a musical culture which, until very recently, was as marginalized as the people who produced it.
To tell this story, we need your help. With your assistance, we will be able to cover expenses for what will be the first of at least three trips to Iquitos. Your contributions will go towards flights, local transportation and accommodation, hiring a local crew, renting equipment and filming the electoral process as we follow Ranil, his mayoral opponents, and the many other characters who fill Ranil's world.
Each contribution comes with a reward, and whether your interest lies in music, film, history, or politics (or all of the above) we hope you will join us in bringing to light the untold story of a remarkable city and a remarkable man.
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Funding Successful
This project successfully raised its funding goal on October 23, 2010.
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Our eternal gratitude - and a thank you on the film's web page.
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A copy of the DVD upon completion Plus all of the above
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A copy of The Roots of Chicha vol 2 Plus all of the above (2 CDs and the DVD)
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Copies of the CDs Chicha Libre "Sonido Amazonico" and Juaneco y Su Combo: Masters of Chicha vol1 Plus all of the above (4 CDs and a DVD)
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All of the above plus an associate producer credit
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All the above plus a screening anyhere in the world (add transportation and accommodation for one of the fimmakers)
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ABOUT OLIVIER CONAN (PRODUCER)
Olivier Conan is the owner of Barbès Records and a co-owner of Brooklyn’s popular music venue Barbès. He is a founding member of the groups Chicha Libre and Las Rubias del Norte. He has also worked as a correspondent to the United Nations, has written about music for various publications and has curated music series around NYC including at New York’s Museum of Modern Art . Olivier is responsible for the release of “The Roots of Chicha”, which contributed to a worldwide regain of interest for the music. He has been called “The ambassador of Chicha” by Peruvian newspaper “El Peruano”.
ABOUT DAVID TEAGUE (DIRECTOR)
David Teague's award-winning documentaries “Intifada NYC” and "Our House" (World Premiere Hot Docs 2010) are currently playing festivals and broadcast outlets around the world. When not directing, David often works as an editor of documentaries, including the Oscar-winning “Freeheld" directed by Cynthia Wade. His shooting and editing work has played festivals such as Cannes, Sundance, the Berlinale, Tribeca, SXSW, and Full Frame. His other films include the underground Super 8 feature "Love Suicides" and he has shot and edited music videos for artists like David Bowie, Laurie Anderson, and Dolly Parton. He has also taught film production at the New School, NBC Universal, Brooklyn College, DCTV, and Long Island University.
ABOUT RACHEL LEARS (CO-PRODUCER)
Rachel Lears is a filmmaker, musician and writer. Her first feature documentary, Birds of Passage (Aves de paso; 2010) dealt with the struggles of two young songwriters in Uruguay. The film toured Uruguay sponsored by the Ministry of Education and Culture, and will be broadcast nationally in a number of South American countries in 2011. Rachel holds an M.Phil in Cultural Anthropology and an MA in Ethnomusicology from New York University, as well as a BA in Music from Yale University. Rachel's doctoral research on popular music, visual culture, and cultural policy in Uruguay has been supported by grants from Fulbright-Hays and the Mellon Foundation/ American Council of Learned Societies.
