Playing with Fire (2011)

Celendin, a community high in the Peruvian Andes, teeters on the brink of modernity. The annual celebration of its patron saint, is in full swing, featuring brass bands and candle-lit parades that co-exist with amplified music and erotic dancers. Despite the protestations of religious authorities and an eccentric evangelist, elaborate firework displays are a time-honored and indispensable feature of the fiesta. Gunpowder, ground by hand in ancient stone mills, can be treacherous. Diabolical mishaps plague Cesar, the local pyrotechnic artist. Bad fortune calls for ritual exorcism with Jesus, the curandero. The festivities gain momentum, a spectacular firework display fulfills the community's expectations and restores Cesar's self-confidence. Playing with Fire explodes onto the screen in a riot of color and kaleidoscopic portrait of an Andean community.