The Last Shaman

Short Documentary, 2026

The Last Shaman is a hybrid observational documentary divided into four chapters, following the daily life of a Piaroa family led by Rufino, one of the most important shamans in Venezuela. Through an intimate gaze, the camera records their ancestral practices: the sacred chants, traditional medicine, and rituals that for generations have sustained their worldview.

But the world has changed. Mining offers real income. Moving to towns and cities promises schools and opportunities. Christianity, with more and more devotees within the community, presents a faith easier to pass down than the long years of sacrifice that shamanism demands. Rufino knows this clearly: none of his people plan to follow in his footsteps. And he does not judge them. Being a shaman is hard, lonely, and in the present day, uncertain ground on which to build a future.

Far from nostalgia or lament, the documentary honestly explores this crossroads: how to keep a legacy alive when the world is pulling in another direction? Through Rufino's own voice, we hear his deepest fears and his most contradictory decision—opening his sacred chants to non-indigenous people and foreigners—so that the tradition does not disappear. Beyond the shaman, the film humanizes the father, the husband, and the grandfather: a man who understands that his grandchildren may never sing as he does, but who nevertheless chooses to share his chants before it is too late.

Filmed and Directed by by Susy Pena and Alex Bartsch
Produced by Celina Morffes, Adriana Somoza and Susy Pena
Edited by Alex Bartsch and Susy Pena
Camera Assistant Cacica Honta and Anderson Natera
2nd Camera Anderson Natera