Uria, l’enfant de la rivière

Uria, a 13-year old Mentawai boy from Indonesia, was born in a forest on Siberut Island, where writing and rice are still unknown. For his studies, he has had to leave his family and go to a boarding school run by an Italian Catholic mission, three days’ journey away from his home. He dreams of becoming a teacher, and teaching his people who are increasingly vulnerable to traders, how to read and write. The film follows his life as a boarder and his return home for the Summer holidays. After a long journey through the jungle by pirogue, he finds his family again – his parents and younger brothers, who are living in almost Stone Age conditions.