Quechua, the fading Inca language
University of nsw
Background & Context
Filmed and edited an award winning documentary that chronicles an academic researcher’s quest to save Quechua, the language spoken by the Incas. Through participatory ethnography, Dr Funegra explores the state of Quechua in a remote village of the Peruvian andes.
My video editing and ethnographic research skills emerged during my time in Peru working as a Research Assistant for a PhD candidate exploring the decline of Quechua, the indigenous language of the Incas.
Process
Together Dr Funegra and I spent 3 months in Huanchaco, a town 5000 metres above sea level gathering data through observation and interviews. Choosing film as our research method allowed us to create an ethnographic documentary while we were at it!
The film was screened in several countries at academic institutions and film festivals around the world, and is part of several university learning resource libraries including ANU, ASU, UNYC and UNSW.
I filmed and edited the documentary as well as designed assets for film screenings, packaging and promotion. But what I was most inspired by was my research contribution: co-writing and copy editing the thesis, forming strategies for the survival of the language, and applying visual anthropology and ethnography principles to the documentary.
I also designed, built and wrote the copy for Dr Gabina’s website and created the trailer.