WHITE MAN CONTACT DANCE

BACKGROUND TO THE FILM

Matt first met an indigenous group called the Matses during the early 2000’s while working in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest on projects for well-known television broadcasters. The Matses were once a feared warrior tribe, also nicknamed the ‘Cat People’ due to the straw whiskers they wore through their cheeks.

That’s when he first heard about a mysterious ceremony that went by the translated name ‘White Man Contact Dance’, a revival ceremony where ancient traditions were taught to the new generations.

As a passionate advocate of indigenous culture, Matt maintained his interest in this part of the Amazon. Many years later a close friend of his (who worked as a biologist and guide for BBC wildlife film crews) informed him that he now knew where this was taking place.

After receiving an invite from the village’, Matt made the spontaneous decision to head to the village to film the ceremony, with the help of the former ‘chief, who subsequently became his guide and close friend.

On arrival, events quickly unfolded . After filming the ceremony, the filmmaker experienced a series of strange happenings, which opened his eyes to an unseen power lurking in the village - that of American evangelist missionaries. Although these ‘white’ outsiders had long since left, their legacy was continued by an influential group of villagers who appeared to have considerable sway in the community.

As Matt began asking questions, the answers were often shorted in mystery. But little by little a picture began to emerge - the true story of how two American women went to extreme lengths to penetrate the territory of this unconnected warrior tribe, then rapidly impact their indigenous way of life.

Matt’s 3 day trip to film began to lengthen day after day before falling river levels risked leaving him stranded. The filmmaker was also aware of local sensitivities as some of the evangelists grew concerned with the new focus of the film.

Not wishing to cause any disturbance Matt decided to leave after 10 days.

The film is peiced together retrospectively, narrated in the first person as the filmmaker reveals how events unfolded in real time.

It’s a highly unusual film - part-adventure, part-mystery and part-history. But ultimately the film exposes the little-known and ‘shady’ practices of American Missionaries.

The story of Matses ‘first contact’ has been officially recorded in peer-reviewed anthropology journals. However, this appears to be the first documentary to focus on this wide-spread human rights concern, one which appears to continue to take place all across the world to this present day.