Guatemala/Honduras
In a Garífuna community on Guatemala’s Caribbean coast, Isha, a twelve-year-old marked by the absence of her migrant mother and by violence at home, finds refuge in the sea and in her imagination. Alongside Ajpu, an Indigenous boy also shaped by displacement, she creates a world where fantasy becomes a form of resistance. Inspired by a heroine, Isha decides to break her silence and report the abuses endured by those left behind, transforming into Hiñaru Duna, Water Woman, a symbol of memory and ancestral strength.
Opida
Opida is a Honduran production company committed to socially and culturally driven filmmaking in Central America. It develops and co-produces projects with international visibility, including Eva, awarded at RIFF and the Havana Film Festival. Working through regional partnerships, the company champions inclusive stories rooted in identity with global reach.
Direction
Elvis Caj
Script
Elvis Caj
Production
William Reyes
[email protected]
Director and screenwriter
Elvis Caj is a Maya Poqomchi’ director and screenwriter. He took part in Locarno’s Open Doors and Talents Guadalajara, and has received support from IMCINE and Ambulante/Netflix. His short Liremu Barana was considered for a 2021 Oscar nomination representing Norway. He founded Ancestral Films and is developing his debut feature Hiñaru Duna.
Producer
William Reyes is a Honduran producer and director, founder of OPIDA. He studied at UNITEC and at the University of the Arts of Cuba. His shorts Victoria and El Pescador screened at festivals including Guadalajara and Havana. His debut feature Eva won Best LGBTIQ+ Film at the Rome Independent Film Festival.