Manuel de Pedro
Writing
Biography
Born in Zaragoza, Spain, in 1939, De Pedro graduated in Philosophy from the University of Comillas, Spain, 1966, and earn a Master in Film at Northwestern University, 1970. He moved to Venezuela in 1971 where he lived until his death in 2023. His career began in the late 1960s with the short fiction film Misa criolla (1967), and then focused on the documentary genre, making various shorts until 1975, when he directed the documentary feature Juan Vicente Gómez y su tiempo (Juan Vicente Gómez and his time). Two other important documentary features were Iniciación de un Shamán (1980), focused on the ancestral rite of the culture of the native peoples, in this case the Yanomami culture; and Un solo pueblo (1985), about the activity of the folkloric musical group of the same name that emerged in 1976 in Caracas and that transcended borders. De Pedro also ventured into fiction films with En Sabana Grande siempre de día (1988) and Trampa para un gato (1994).
Known For
Documentary on Venezuela's dictator Juan Vicente Gómez.
Juan Vicente Gómez y su época
Victor, a middle-class child, escapes from his home in search of his father; after multiple crossings find it where you least expect, with the help of two small living on the street.
It's Always Shiny in Sabana Grande
Between 1980 and 1992, El Salvador was at war. Two Venezuelans joined the guerrilla movement in that Central American country and participated in Radio Venceremos, a subversive radio station that broadcast uninterruptedly during the years of struggle between the government and the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front.
Trampa para un gato
Documentary film directed by Manuel de Pedro and shot from 1983 to 1984. It portrays the creative, research, and learning process of a group of people who traveled to the most remote corners of the Venezuela in search of its authentic artistic expressions.
Un solo pueblo
Halfway between fiction and documentary, Initiation of a Shaman tells the story of Rarowe, a young Yanomami who is about to be initiated and must make contact with spirits brought by other shamans. The young man feels the effects of the initiation and always waits until the end to see if he can withstand it. The initiation itself is a rare event and occurs only when the old medicine man is about to die. The ancient rites includes the struggle of the youth with evil spirits which attempt to prevent the old witch doctor from imparting his wisdom to the young man. Hallucinogetic plants are used by the tribe to increase perception. The eerie images depicted are similar to those evoked in the books of Castaneda.