CURA, an immersive journey into the Amazon

Welcome to our GoFundMe for "CURA" - a film that follows three Amazonian tribes in their sacred role as forest guardians, weaving traditional healing rituals with mind-altering sensory experiences to reveal humanity's deep connection to the rainforest.

We have been filming for over 9 months, following the tribes and will continue to return to the forest for the next year to track their story and the story of the forest as it undergoes potentially devastating changes. But our film is not about disappearance. It's rooted in hope and the belief that the forest, just like us, given time and space, has the ability to heal and regenerate.

My name is Mahyad Tousi. I am the director of the film, but CURA is a co-creation with the tribes we are working with and with a talented, passionate multinational team of creatives, many of whom are from the forest or forest-adjacent communities.

Our connection to this story runs deep and personal—each of us has been profoundly transformed by encounters with plant medicines and the Indigenous wisdom that stewards them. The Amazon is not only a singular source of healing and wisdom, drawing millions worldwide into ceremonial practices; it is also critical to sustaining the delicate balance of life on this planet. Our team shares a profound understanding that our personal healing is inseparable from the health of this vital ecology, an understanding that has formed the central question that informs this work: What does it mean to seek wisdom and healing from a place facing destruction?

WHEN WILL THIS FILM BE RELEASED?

Our film will be released after we are able to capture the story of our three tribes and the forest they call home. As it stands, we believe we will be done in 2026.

HOW WILL FUNDS BE USED?

Funds will help us to continue to follow the tribes and with filming over the next year and to help with editing and post-production.

$25,000 FUNDRAISING GOAL

Raising $25,000 will help us start our edit while we continue to film in the rainforest, which is harder than it sounds but also incredibly rewarding.

STRETCH GOALS:

$50,000: HELPS US GO FURTHER!

Helps with ongoing production and will let us travel into the rainforest to capture the burning of the forest next summer. This is dangerous but necessary work. In 2024 alone, an area the size of the country of Italy was burned in the Amazon to clear land for cattle and cattle feed.

$100,000 - $250,000: FILMING AND EDITING

This will allow us to continue filming over the next year and to work with our editor to put together a rough cut.

$500,000: FILMING + EDITING AND KEY POST-PRODUCTION

This will allow us production and hire a full-time editor and composer for the 9-12 months we estimate it will take to edit the film and build a multi-sensory installation that combines visuals with a multichannel soundscape.

CAN I MAKE A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION?

Donations via GoFundMe are not tax-deductible. If interested in making a tax-deductible donation, it will need to go through our fiscal sponsor. Please visit our film website (https://curafilm.framer.website/) or contact us at us directly if you would like some info about making a larger tax-deductible donation or EP donation. https://curafilm.framer.website/

Thanks for the support and for sharing this with anyone who cares about the environment or is curious about plant medicines. Your contribution will go a long way to help us finish this film and bring this experience to the world!

Mahyad and the CURA team

PS. Please note that no raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or promotions are offered in exchange for any donations made to GoFundMe.