Lunch with Wañuy

Interview with Alejandro Roca Rey, director of Wañuy

 Could you tell us more about “Wañuy”, and its significance in the film? Why does the psychic mention it? 
“Wañuy” in Quechua means “to die”. But as you may know, Quechua is a really profound and tricky language, just like us, human beings. Its conjugation is rather complicated and it may vary in different places. During my research and investigation for another project, I found that in some communities “Wañuy” is a ritual in which people exchange animal skin and clothes in order to represent how one’s energy is “recycled” upon Pachamama (Mother Earth) when one dies. For me, this short is about how sometimes, when you feel that you are in a moment of chaos, you need an extreme situation to put your feet on the ground and see things from another perspective. The word “Wañuy” has acquired this new meaning for me. It is a reminder that life gives you once in a while, saying: “Look around, it could be worse. Stop complaining and start taking action.”

 I found the interactions between the characters, although very simple (few words are said), to be incredibly moving. What did you want to explore in this conversation between the taxi driver and his passengers?
The dialogue between the taxi driver and his passengers is a metaphor for how sometimes we can’t understand each other, even between fellow Peruvians, because of social and cultural barriers that we have not been able to overcome. I don’t think you can say that there is segregation specifically for Quechua speakers, but there is still racism and other types of discrimination going on on so many levels, for example, the people from the coast sometimes discriminate people from the highlands. Quechua represents this minority in some way and it also worked for me because neither the driver nor the majority of the audience would understand what they were saying.

 If you’ve already been to Clermont-Ferrand, could you share with us an anecdote or story from the festival? If not, what are your expectations for this year?
I have never been to Clermont-Ferrand before. In fact, this will be my first time in Europe and I am truly excited. Wañuy is my first short film and I can’t believe that it is taking me so far, literally. I am very grateful towards the people who have supported my work and believed in me, especially my family, my associate producers, my team, and EPIC, the film school where I studied here in Lima, Peru.

Wañuy is being shown in International Competition I1.