On Suspicion Zokunentu

As a younger man, famed Mapuche artist Bernardo Oyarzún was arrested on suspicion of jewelry theft. Although he bore no resemblance to the actual thief, he was profiled solely based on his Indigenous identity. This is what it means to be Mapuche in the city. Now, director Daniel Díaz explores his uncle’s prolific art of resistance and through their shared master–apprentice bond we get an up-close and personal look into the vast richness of Oyarzún’s artistic career. Through archival footage of some of Oyarzún’s earliest works to the present, we see his career unfold. The film powerfully addresses the stigma he experienced as he challenged the ingrained racism within Chilean society. Through a personal lens, Díaz explores his family’s own empowerment to reconcile their Indigenous culture, community and ancestral language with city life.