The Author

It has been an honor to be nominated by your festival judges. I know that it will help spread the awareness of the endangerment of this wonderful species of the red or pink boto dolphins of the Amazon rain forest that they desperately need. Thank you

I have dedicated my resources to spend time in the Amazon jungle during 2019 to make this documentary because I became fascinated by the vibes that the red botos (Inia Geoffrensis) transmit through their elongated beaks. One can only describe it by being there in the wild with them. Prepare your hearts to see the most incredible dolphin specie in the world. The Red Boto!

The Amazon boto are not trained dolphins kept in a enclosed water tanks like salt water dolphins; they love humans by a natural desire. There, in the middle of the Rio Negro, the largest organic river in the world, we gather and the healing begins. As soon as one steps off of the floating pier and get into the water, they approach and immediately check your vitals. If they notice any disabilities, they stay with you for the longest time. And, to confirm they do love humans, the therapist does not attract them with fish, just colorful balls. I’m convinced their sonar vibrations are intense and emit extreme healing powers. Since I’ve started to swim with them, I have improved my mental health by a one hundred percent.

I can only attest to what I’ve witnessed as it has happened and for years I have watched the local physical therapist Igor Simoes Andrade, creator of the Boto Terapia, a documented therapeutic treatment that benefits disabled children on both physical and mental levels. For that matter alone, I have dedicated monetary resources and supported all those who protect these docile species that benefit us so much.

The Amazon Natives say that the boto dolphins die of a broken heart when taken away from the jungle waters. For thousands of years their folklore believes that these red botos have a human heart and in certain full moons, they become a handsome man at night. An emblematic animal the locals love, but failed to protect.

The award winner biologist Dr. Vera da Silva, has for twenty five years dedicated to preserve this specie of red botos, but is just not enough. I’ve promised her I would dedicate the rest of my life to help her fight for their survival. Making this documentary the red boto is just the beginning not the end. And it is not a noble cause, but a humane obligation.

Sincerely,

Maria Franco