Blak Mama springs from our interest in certain hybrid cultural forms that are visible in folk festivals such as the Mama Negra celebration which takes place twice a year in the highlands of Ecuador. This ritual -which some scholars say originates in Northern Africa- was brought to South America by the Spanish conquistadores. Here it has undergone many transformations, incorporating a visual and ritualistic baggage that has colored it with profound yet mysterious significance. The layering of identities is complex, hybrid and fascinating.

This film is like a comic book that winks at the supposed tragic origin of mestizo culture and dwells on its counterpart: the bizarre, the carnavalesque, the baroque and the absurd.

Just like in many comic books our characters express themselves from the crust more than they do from a deep and complex soul. They are not essential beings, they project something that is read from the outside, in the wrapping, in the costume and the pose.

Blak, I don Dance and Bambola are the protagonists of this fantastic tale of transformation. During their voyage they will fashion their identities on models taken from Ecuador's popular culture.

Personal transformation stems from insatisfaction, desire and fantasy. When wanting to become the other, cross-dressing is the first step to take. Dress like him, dress like her. And dance.

- Miguel Alvear and Patricio Andrade