Our Story

Our story follows South American icon, Kapax, and his struggle to protect the Amazon's water from privatization by international corporations in this documentary film.

Kapax, the Columbian Tarzan, has fought an environmental campaign all his life to protect the Amazon's water from pollution and plunder. Water has been identified as the "new oil" and these corporations are seeking to steal the water of the Guarani Aquifer, the third largest body of drinkable water on the planet.

We enter the story as Kapax begins his cinematic mission, traveling from Columbia, to the Guarani region, then onto Argentina and finally to New York City, home of the World Bank and the power brokers of the world.  Along the way, Kapax will interview an array of people involved in this real life drama - politicians, activists, journalists and indigenous peoples fighting a life-and-death struggle for their land. 

"Kapax, Heart of Water" will be a feature-length documentary, approximately 90 minutes running time.

We are currently in a dialogue with HBO regarding distribution and a release date.

Who is Kapax?

In South America, Kapax is the legendary hero of the Amazonian rivers and jungles,though he thinks of himself as an ordinary, concerned Colombian who is working to change the sad reality of the Amazon region.

Kapax is both a cultural icon and a folk hero, who has a touch of the prophet about him. Kapax still keeps the shorts, the knife and wire necklace that he wore three decades ago, while swimming the Magdelena, to call attention to the ecological and social plight of this great river.  Kapax has dedicated his life to protecting the Amazon's  environment and giving the region a recognizable identity. 

The Impact

Privatization of water isn't good for anyone but the corporations and it's already happening around the world. 

International corporations like GE, Nestle, Suez and Exxon/Mobile now control drinking water supplies in France, England, Germany, Chile, Cuba, Brazil, Morocco, China, Poland and the United States.

Because of global warming, much of the world's surface water is rapidly drying up or becoming contaminated. The future of drinkable water lies in 22 identified aquifers, underground fresh water lakes, like the Guarani Aquifer, which is larger than the combined states of Texas and California.

Once the aquifers are privatized, the public will never regain control of them. Not only will people be forced to pay exorbitant prices for water, millions of people in second and third world countries won't have access to drinkable water at all. 

What We Need & What You Get

The funding we're seeking in this campaign is going finance the Amazon segment of the film, in which Kapax travels from Leticia to Manaus, and then to the Guarani region and finally to Argentina. This segment commences shooting in January and should be completed by late February of 2012.

The money we're asking you for will be used strictly for production costs of the film - travel, food, housing and technical expenses.  

Your help with the films funding is crucial, although we are seeking other financial help with a number of film grants, private and public sponsors. Mystik Films is dedicated to the making and completion of this film in 2012.

Sponsors of this project receive a variety of perks, from copies of the film and Kapax t-shirts, to producing credits in the film and even paid trips to the Amazon and a chance to meet Kapax himself! 

Obviously, the size of the perk depends on the size of your donation. 

Journey of the film

Beginning in the Colombian town of Leticia, Kapax  records  the environmental plight of the place where he has resided most of his adult life. Kapax then travels to the city of Manaos, where we revisit the history of the Amazon as a key element in the world's industrialization. From there, Kapax goes to visit the Xingu community in Brazil, famed for their huge struggle with the Brazilian government for lands and resources the Xingu have owned for many generations.  Afterwards, Kapax continues on to visit the Guarani people, who face a similar battle with outside corporate forces, who want to steal the land that gives them access to the Guarani Aquifer.  Continually misplaced by special interests, the Guarani are actually the rightful heirs to the water richest land on the planet, though now they languish in slum-like conditions and commit suicides as a result of their situation. 

Climbing aboard a small plane, the Columbian Tarzan journeys on to Paraguay, to record images of Dr. Luis Maria Argana airport in Mariscal Estagaribea and learn the truth of whether a hidden American airbase still exists there today. After his investigation of the airport, Kapax interviews Adolfo Perez Esquivel, Nobel Peace Prize winning activist and writer. Kapax questions Esquivel on the subjects of American military involvement in South America in the past  (and future) and where that intervention may be heading in terms of the impending "water wars".

While in Buenos Aires, Kapax meets with René Rodrigues Peréz, a high level businessman who worked closely with the Bush family in the creation of H2O South, a corporation that specializes in the extraction of drinking water from aquifers in South America.  Kapax will query Perez (and other key players) on their dealings with special interests groups in relation to potable water, how advanced are their plans for extracting it and exactly how much land is currently owned by foreign corporations and the Bush family in the area of the Guarani Aquifer.  

Armed with this knowledge, Kapax now climbs a jet for New York City, where he plans on visiting the United Nations, viewing the World Bank and mounting an public event to raise consciousness of the water crisis in the Amazon, as well as the world. 

The team

Glenn English: Director/ producer

Ana Santos: Director/ Producer

Gianfranco Firriolo: Director of Photography

Alexander Lesmes: Camara / On site producer

Alberto Rojas Lesmes, Kapax: activist / producer

Victoria Alvarez Benuzzi: Argentinean journalist

Georgia Silvia: Anthropologist / producer Guarani region.

Andres Sarabia: research

Ana Maria Dias: research washington

Music composing: Taku Kawahara

Aldo Brando: Online producer

Nicolas Ulloa: Sound engineer

Elektra Kournikova: Artist - key art.

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