OZOGOCHE

An indigenous Kichwa community, in the mountains of the Ecuadorian Andes, awaits every year for the arrival of the Cuvivíes, small migratory birds that reproduce and nest in the grasslands of North America and travel to the south of the continent on a non-stop voyage. However, after their long journey, many dive into the Ozogoche Lakes, in an inexplicable ultimate fly. 

For the Andean communities, there is a mythical meaning in this natural phenomenon, and the sacred birds’ sacrifice, a time for celebration. For Don Feliciano, one of the eldest, is the opportunity to tell his granddaughter, Sisa, and the other children of the villages, the traditions and the long bond of the Ozogoche with the Cuvivíes. But as years pass, climate change is making the area harsher to live in. If the cuviví makes a sacrifice by migrating, the same can be said of the many indigenous inhabitants of the paramo who follow the route in the opposite direction and migrate to the United States. 

With stunning photography, director Joe Houlberg’s Ozogoche, intertwines the journey of the birds and the journey of the young in a powerful metaphor about cultural identity, heritage and the fleeting beauty of the Ecuadorian highlands.