Pipilintu

Pipilintu

The film

From the Andes to the Atlantic, 3,600 km by oar on a traditional raft

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Synopsis

Running time
56 min
Release
Autumn 2026
Filming
4 months
Map of the Pipilintu expedition route, from Bolivia to Macapá in Brazil
📍 GPS track of the expedition 🗺️
From Guanay in Bolivia to Macapá in Brazil: 3,600 km along the Kaka, Beni, Madeira and Amazon rivers.

Fabien has a dream: to travel the immense Amazon River, in silence and by oar.

While travelling to Lake Titicaca, he discovers the perfect boat to make his dream come true: a “balsa de totora”, a traditional boat built entirely from reeds.

Far from the clichés of Amazonian adventure, the Pipilintu crew finds itself immersed in a territory that is alive, connected and deeply human.

Escorted by the Bolivian Navy, the crew unwittingly ends up at the heart of a strange spy affair, fuelled by a rumour spreading through the local media.

Pipilintu is the silent, organic odyssey of five adventurers aboard a reed boat, whose crossing takes on an unimaginable dimension. Like a butterfly at the end of its migration, their short-lived boat decomposes, casting doubt over their original goal, 3,600 kilometres away: the Atlantic.

  • A hand holds a cut totora stem, showing the honeycombed pith that keeps the balsa afloat
  • A crew member and an Aymara craftsman lash a bundle of totora together while building the balsa
  • The crew and soldiers shoulder a totora hull unloaded from a truck at the riverbank
  • Departure ceremony: an officer of the Armada Boliviana welcomes the crew, in life jackets, in front of the balsa
  • Aerial view of the balsa sailing through a deep gorge with forest-covered walls
  • Top-down aerial view of the brown river between two rocky banks, the balsa followed by two boats
  • Two crew members work the long wooden oars on the balsa's deck, forest in the background
  • The balsa mid-river under its white sail, painted with a large orange butterfly and the name Pipilintu
  • At dusk, a crew member chats with three children who have climbed aboard the balsa
  • A blue-tarped gold-mining barge, followed by its dredges, anchored in the middle of the Amazonian river
  • Portrait of a smiling crew member in a canvas hat, during a stop in a riverside village
  • The embroidered “Expedición Pipilintu” patch lying on the half-submerged totora hull
  • Four crew members pose aboard the balsa, unfurling the Expedición Pipilintu flag
  • Three crew members in front of the balsa, stranded on a muddy bank at the end of the expedition
  • The balsa, mast dressed with flags, beached by mangroves near the mouth of the Amazon
See the full album (308 photos)

Screenings

Past and upcoming screenings of the film Pipilintu.

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The crew

  • Portrait of Fabien Gallier

    Fabien Gallier

    Captain · Baboune

    A tinkering engineer and the instigator of the expedition, Fabien has sailed 10,000 km aboard his sailboat La Baboune in search of low-tech initiatives. Winner of the Veolia Foundation's Ecological Transformation award in 2023, he pursues a single quest: discovering sustainable ways of inhabiting the world.

  • Portrait of Erwan Rolland

    Erwan Rolland

    Sailing master · Santiago

    A 26-year-old sailor and adventurer, Santi skippers his own sailboat. After an Atlantic crossing and a year in the Caribbean he joined the expedition, bringing his technical expertise and calm temperament. He is also our master fermenter and makes excellent fresh cheese.

  • Portrait of Benjamin

    Benjamin

    Documentary maker · Benji

    A 28-year-old wandering engineer, Benji travels lightly and slowly, following his passions for climbing, cycling and tinkering. He paused his bike ride across South America to join the expedition.

  • Portrait of Télio Nouraud

    Télio Nouraud

    Photographer / Videographer · Telito

    A travelling photographer, Télio has been roaming South America for three years, documenting his adventures through his lens — and taking up video aboard Pipilintu. Running from the heat, the mosquitoes and murky waters, joining the expedition mid-voyage was an obvious choice!

  • Portrait of Thomas Merzlic

    Thomas Merzlic

    Cook · Toto

    A temporary crew member, Toto joined the expedition on a whim. He travels across South America to meet inspiring projects and the people behind them. A passionate cook, he loves bringing people together around a good meal and taking them on a journey through food.

Expedition journal

Stories from the crew, written along the river — from building the balsa on Lake Titicaca to reaching the Atlantic.

All articles