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Forest up in the Mountain

Forum 2026
© Ezequiel Salinas
In 2017, young Mapuche Rafael Nahuel was killed by Argentina’s Naval Prefecture police in the Andean forest of Villa Mascardi, Patagonia. Drawing on court records, official documents and forensic archives, Forest up in the Mountain situates this crime within a long history of systematic state violence against the Mapuche people. The film links this case to violence rooted in territorial colonisation following the so-called “Conquest of the Desert” in the late 19th century. By exposing the fractures of a judicial system that reproduces disproportionate power relations between the state and Indigenous peoples – and treats their territories as sites of industrial exploitation – this porous documentation brings to light processes of dislocation and identity rupture enacted through material and symbolic violence. Through a historical examination of territorial disputes, Sofía Bordenave’s film presents the forest as both witness and space of resistance, an echoing archive whose testimony extends beyond the courtroom and challenges official narratives.

Trailer/Film Excerpt

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by Sofía Bordenave (Director, Screenplay), Pablo Weber (Screenplay)
with Mirta Ñancunao, Lorena Cañuqueo, Joaquin Rapoport Argentina 2026 Spanish 91' Colour World premiere | Documentary form

With

  • Mirta Ñancunao
  • Lorena Cañuqueo
  • Joaquin Rapoport

Crew

Director Sofía Bordenave
Screenplay Sofía Bordenave, Pablo Weber
Cinematography Ezequiel Salinas
Editing Pablo Weber
Music Sebastian Teves
Sound Design Atilio Sanchez
Producers Clara Massot, Sofía Bordenave, Manuel Rapoport
Executive Producer Manuel Rapaport

Produced by

Maleza cine

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Afuera producciónes

San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina

Photos

Sofía Bordenave

© Joaquin Rapoport

Sofía Bordenave is a filmmaker and human rights lawyer born in Córdoba, Argentina. Her film Estrella Roja premiered at the Mar del Plata International Film Festival in 2021, winning the Young Critics Award for Best First Film. It also screened at Lincoln Center and the Jeonju International Film Festival. She is currently shooting her first fiction feature, All the Shipwrecks in the World. Alongside filmmaking, she has worked for over 30 years in human rights and Indigenous rights.

Filmography

2018 La suave noche; documentary, co-directed by Luz Rapoport 2021 Estrella Roja (Red Star); documentary 2024 Pas crever; short film 2026 Forest up in the Mountain; documentary

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2026