Daughters of the Forest

A film by Otilia Portillo Padua

Deep in Mexico’s forests, two Indigenous mycologists seek to reconcile the past and present
while reimagining the future for themselves and the changing world they inhabit.

Daughters of the Forest is a story of entanglements: between humans and mushrooms; the visible and the invisible; generational knowledge and modern science. This immersive sci-fi documentary takes us on an unexpected, sometimes speculative exploration to reconsider the perceptions and experiences of both the human and non-human inhabitants of our world.

Director: Otilia Portillo Padua
Producer: Otilia Portillo Padua, Paula Arrolo, Elena Fortes
Principal Cast: Eliseete Ramirez Carbajal, Julieta Serafina Amaya Pérez

Special guest Susan Anderson will be present after the screening for short discussion moderated by Rob Ganger.

Susan Anderson is a wisdom keeper and storyteller for Little Raven traditional ceremonial community where her family have been ceremonial leaders for over 200 years. She is of Creek, Cherokee, Anglo, and African descent. Her love of the land and respect for the food and medicinal value of native plants has been a guiding force in her life. She has developed an intimate and comprehensive understanding of her land, its ecosystems and cycles, and how these things relate to the unique “medicine of place”.

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