The blood and the hen

Directing, camera and research: Roger Canals
Production: CNRS-Images / Cellule Audiovisuelle du IIAC
Running time: 13 min.
Year: 2008

Sinopsis: In a humble house on the outskirts of Maracaibo (Venezuela), John, a medium in the cult of María Lionza, and Javier, his assistant, are going to start a healing ritual. The person seeking help is Josefina, a sixty-year-old woman who suffers from headaches, nightmares and anxiety. John believes that an evil spirit has entered her body and that Josefina must be spiritually cleansed. To do so, he will perform several ritual techniques such as prayers, the use of “sacred powder” and the sacrifice of a hen.
This short film leads us into the world of María Lionza’s cult, the most important religion in contemporary Venezuelan society and reveals the complexity of this belief, where elements of Catholicism, African cults, Amerindian traditions and spiritualism can be found, among others.

 Festivals and screenings (selection):

• Ethnocineca, Austria (2010)
• L’autre et le sacré. Paris (2009)