Edition 24: 1–9 August, 2025

INTERNATIONAL DOX: FEATURES

DONKEYOTE

Spain, Germany, United Kingdom
2017 — 86' / Color

1

Synopsis

Manolo leads a simple life in Southern Spain. He has two loves: his animals, in particular his donkey Gorrión (“Sparrow”), and wandering through nature. Against the advice of his doctor, he decides to plan one last walk in the US, the brutal 2200 mile Trail of Tears. But not without his donkey.

Official Trailer

Director Biography

After several award-winning short fiction films, Chico Pereira (born 1979 in Almaden, Spain) moved towards documentary by devising minimalist narratives inspired by real-life characters and performed by them. As part of his research for the MFA Advanced Film Practice at Edinburgh Napier University, Chico started combining fiction and documentary film techniques. PABLO’S WINTER was his graduation film and his first feature length work.. A short doc POLARIS, about Filipino fishermen on Scottish boats, followed. Chico is funded by a prestigious scholarship granted by “La Caixa” to undertake a PhD in Social Anthropology and Ethnographic Film in Santa Cruz, USA. DONKEYOTE is his sophomore film to his widely admired debut.

Director

Chico Pereira

Producer

Ingmar Trost

Sonja Henrici

Cinematographer

Julian Schwanitz

Editor

Nick Gibbon

Music

Mark Deas

Contact

Best Spanish Director – Documenta Madrid 2017. Audience Award – Malaga FF 2017. IFF Rotterdam 2017. Hot Docs 2017. True/False 2017. Edinburgh IFF 2017. San Francisco FF 2017.