Wara wara: Exploring a Foundational Bolivian Cinematic Masterpiece and Cultural Allegory

Wara wara is a 1930 film by Jose M. Velasco Maidana, considered a cinematic milestone in Bolivia. It allegorizes mestizaje through romantic love, blending late 19th-century literary romanticism with early 20th-century artistic explorations.

Wara wara, a film from 1930 by director Jose M. Velasco Maidana, is presented as a significant piece within the 'Antes de América' collection, specifically within the 'Reinterpretación e identidad. 1910-1940' section. The film uses romantic allegory to explore themes of mestizaje, merging literary romanticism with artistic styles like modernism and art deco, and incorporating pre-Columbian Greek key motifs. Notably, it involved prominent Bolivian artists from the 'generation of the centenary,' including painter Arturo Borda, sculptor Marina Núñez del Prado, and poet Guillermo Viscarra Fabre. Although considered a cinematic milestone in Bolivia, the original film was believed lost until rediscovered in 1989. A reconstruction by Fernando Vargas Villazón, based on extensive research and interviews, was presented in 2010, eighty years after its initial premiere.

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