Hello, my name is Alma Amancay Herrera-Pazmiño. Amancay is a flower from la sierra de los Andes. Growing up, my middle name was not something I shared very often. I didn’t want anyone to butcher it and, because, well, it's not in spanish. It’s in Kichwa and Quechua.

As a filmmaker, I am interested in witnessing the intersections of grief and joy. My latest project, RECIPROCITY, is a personal one reflecting on my journey in finding belonging as Amancay, as a descendent of the Andean diaspora through rituals of reciprocity. I have been blessed with the invitation of being part of the Andean community of New York City where I have met some of the most influential people and practices to support me in understanding the impact of indigenous erasure from my maternal lineage in Ecuador.

In this 4 part vignette documentary I follow four members of the andean community. One for each season of a calendar year. Amara, Jas, Dana and myself. Each participant has granted me access to their archival and documenting their oral history. We all connected in 2019 at an Andean Agrofestive urban farming workshop in the Bronx called Runa Pacha. In this workshop we were re-introduced to the kichwa language of the Andes of Ecuador and the agricultural concept of Ayni: How to live in reciprocity with earth and each other through mindful acts of kindness. Each vignette documents a ritual of re-membering our indigenous lineage through the practice of Ayni, reciprocity.

Using animation, archival and verite style filming, I hope this film can be an offering to other people who are working to reconnect with their ancestral lineage as a way to find belonging. An offering at a time where we are witnessing the erasure of many indigenous communities.

Our goal is to have the 4 seasons of 2025 documented for each participant's story. I am asking for your help to start our work sample this winter documenting Amara’s season. Our current independent budget of $8,500.00 covers crew, production and post production expenses. About a quarter of our entire film budget. Our current team includes:

Amara Ullauri as self

Jasmin Duran as self

Dana Allpa as self

Alma Herrera-Pazmiño as self

Keely Sanchez as Producer

Tanea Lunsford Lynx as producer

Hectah as Animator

& Walter Hergt as Director of Photography

Once we have a work sample we plan to use this to apply to grant and other funding. I appreciate any donation you can make to help Reciprocity come to life. I leave you with a short scene to introduce you to the project. Thank you, Gracias, Yupaychani.