The Colombian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 2019 Academy Awards, Birds of Passage, tells a story about the Wayúu indigenous people in 1970s Colombia. In the movie, “Rapayet’s” family finds itself entangled in Colombia’s drug trade, while struggling with their defiance of indigenous cultural values. Birds of Passage brings up critical questions about the telling of indigenous stories, who gets to direct movies that tell these stories, and who gets to act in them. Joining us to wade through the complexity is WBEZ film contributor and Facets Chicago founder, Milos Stehlik. He shares his review of Birds of Passage and tries to answer some of the questions swirling around indigenous films.
