Cinema gives a powerful megaphone to the softest of voices. Writer-director Mark Kendall proves this point through the Indigenous tribes of Bolivia. Kendall, a then twenty-five-year-old graduate student at Vanderbilt University, produced the film as his master’s thesis project with fellowship funds from Vanderbilt’s Center for the Americas, which supported his summer attending an experimental field school in Cochabamba, Bolivia, overseen by the School for International Training. Led by Ismael Saavedra, a Bolivian filmmaker and former member of Jorge Sanjines’ Grupo Ukamau, SIT Bolivia: Lens on Latin America (LOLA) offers an opportunity for university students to study critical global issues in Latin America through a combination of cultural immersion, field-based learning, and watching and producing videos.
In his documentary short For the People, By the People, Kendall pieces together 2007 video footage of one of the most pivotal events in recent Bolivian history: when Bolivian citizens elected their first Indigenous president two years earlier. This event finally gave voice to 80 percent of the rarely heard population and began drafting revisions to the nation’s constitution.
The film documents the importance of cinema’s role in the country’s evolution. For decades, the stories and concerns of the 36 Indigenous tribes have gone unheard in the news media. However, a long history of filmmaking in Bolivia was made outside the infrastructure of the officially sanctioned studio system. It’s almost as if the news media refused to recognize Bolivia’s multicultural heritage. Equipped with video cameras, each group could tell its stories and preserve its culture.
“…pieces together 2007 VHS footage of the most pivotal event in Bolivian history…”
For the People, By the People is about the work of the CEFREC/CAIB filmmaking collective and “their long-term project of decolonization, cultivating a more pluralistic society amidst the complex dynamics of globalization and the accelerating pervasiveness of digital technologies.” It features interviews with activists who believed cinema was a powerful social technology that could be used “as a weapon.” Like independent cinema here in the U.S., cinema was a way to bring to light the everyday stories of the Indigenous by recording their stories.
Running at just over six minutes, the documentary gets right to the point. Though the Mini DV images may feel outdated by today’s crisp and clear digital standards, filmmaker Kendall brings out powerful messages of freedom for all to see.
For the People, By the People is a poignant reminder of how film and video have the power to both reflect and shape the sociopolitical landscapes we inhabit. Mark Kendall’s thoughtful direction and editing transform VHS footage into a powerful testament to the resilience of Bolivia’s indigenous tribes. In just six impactful minutes, the film underscores the enduring truth that storytelling is a path to visibility, empowerment, and justice.
"…storytelling as a path to visibility, empowerment, and justice."
