SXSW 2026 FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW! Directed by Otilia Portillo Padua and lensed by Martín Boege, Daughters Of The Forest is a haunting, lyrical documentary that highlights how past traditions and rituals can help a future in peril. The film follows mycologists Eliseete “Lis” Ramírez Carbajal and Julieta “Juli” Serafina Amaya Pérez. The scientists are from different parts of Mexico — Oaxaca and Mexico State, respectively — but their study of fungi brings them together with a shared vision.
That vision is bringing better understanding and more practical uses of fungi to the masses. Unfortunately, deforestation, climate change, and other factors are disrupting the natural habitats of fungi. But Indigenous communities have been harvesting and using mushrooms and other fungi for as long as anyone can remember, and those ways might hold the secret to fixing the present, which, in turn, will save the future.
“…bringing better understanding and more practical uses of fungi to the masses.”
Daughters Of The Forest is not as linear as the above plot synopsis may suggest. In fact, it is a trip through time to experience the fungi’s growth and the changes Earth has undergone. It is complicated to fully explain, but Pauda’s presentation of the ups and downs of fungal research is fascinatingly unorthodox yet easy to follow. The scientists at the heart of everything are engaging and explain the sometimes unwieldy concepts as best they can. There is also a familial thread running through the film that adds a sweetness.
But the shining star, the thing that pushes the movie from good to astounding, is the cinematography. Boege captures the chaotic nature of storms in a truly exciting manner. The forest grounds are shot in such loving detail that the whole thing doubles as a travelogue (and I mean that in the best possible way). The way the camera circles and slowly pans up the various mushrooms on display is breathtaking.
Daughters Of The Forest is striking on many levels. The narrative is engaging and told in a completely original way. The importance of what the subjects are looking for and why is timely and fascinating. Most importantly, the cinematography is so spectacular that it transports all watching to a truly new place, one where past, present, future, science, and ritual collide in a beautiful kaleidoscope.
Daughters Of The Forest screened at the 2026 SXSW Film Festival.
"…striking..."
