City to monitor campaign noise; Beware of the ‘fake priest’; School shooting in San Lorenzo; Big Chinese solar project is discussed; Film festivals planned

Bored? –
(De El Mercurio del jueves, 17/9) Cámara Lúcida: década con más de 40 películas (Cámara Lúcida: A Decade with More Than 40 Films) – The Festival Internacional de Cine Cámara Lúcida will celebrate its 10th edition from el 23/9 to el 1/10 with more than 40 films from 28 countries. The programming includes premiers in Ecuador, special events, meetings with filmmakers, and a selection of works made in the city. All events are free. The festival will open el 23/9 a las 19:30 in the Teatro Sucre with the Argentinean film, “No arreglen ni limpien mi habitación, a mí me gusta como está (Don’t fix or clean my room, I like it like this)” by Ignacio Ceroi. <I’m translating just this title because I thought it was funny. You’ll have to apply your Spanish skills to the other titles and the movies themselves. Unless you go to the movies with your own personal simultaneous interpreter.>

The Archdiocese of Cuenca has issued a warning about a person who is impersonating a priest to celebrate masses and engage in other activities without Church authorization.

26/9 – in the Teatro Pumapungo <no times given>
“Miguel” by María Fernanda García
“Tribuna Suprema del Arte” by Juan Carlos Granda
“Solario” by Jonathan Villamar
“La sombra refugiada” by Francisco Álvarez.
The program also includes invited filmmakers with the following events en el Teatro Sucre a las 19:30.
24/9 – El Colectivo Tawna with “El río de los espíritus”
25/9 – Wilson y Sandino Burbano with “Memoria mágica”
30/9 – Carla Valencia with “El viento y todos los tiempos el 30”
The closing will be el 1/10 in the Teatro Sucre with the Brazilian filmmaker Affonso Uchoa and screenings of “Disciplina” and “Siete años en mayo,” and a conversation with the director.

(De El Mercurio del viernes, 18/9) Cuarto ciclo de cine de terror en Casa Municipal (Fourth Horror Film Series at the Casa Municipal) – The Fans del Miedo (Fans of Fear) Cine Club will hold its 4th Horror Film Series at the Casa Patrimonial Municipal del Artista at av. Loja y Cantón Gualaceo. All events are scheduled for 19:00. “Demons” will be shown el viernes, 2/10. This 1985 Italian production was directed by Lamberto Bava. The series concludes el viernes, 15/10 with “Braindead,” a 1992 New Zealand film directed by Peter Jackson. <You English-only speakers might luck out with this one since a New Zealand movie was probably filmed in English but you could strike out if it’s been dubbed.>

Curious? –
(De El Mercurio del sábado 19/9) Control del ruido en campaña (Noise control during campaign) – The Municipality of Cuenca and its various departments will monitor visual and acoustic pollution related to proselytizing activities related to political campaigns. According to the electoral calendar, the official campaign period is from el 12-26/11, 2027, although some candidates have already started to promote themselves. Carlos Orellana, director of the Comisión de Gestión Ambiental (CGA), said that political organizations should respect the limits established by local laws. There are 2 laws with lo-o-ong names — one to protect audial health and reduce noise contamination, and the other to regulate the aesthetics of the urban landscape, to avoid visual saturation, and to protect the architectural heritage. Orellana explained that sanctions for exceeding noise levels can be over $3,000 depending on the infraction and its seriousness. <Like a truck with a loudspeaker at 3 am, driving through sleeping neighborhoods, telling you to vote for Candidate X because they’re going to be tough on crime.> The controls are seeking to avoid rallies, loudspeaker campaigns, and other campaign activities that generate noise levels that affect citizens. <Sometimes I think that anytime a politician opens their mouth, they’re generating unwanted noise levels.>

(De El Mercurio del sábado 19/9) Alertan de “falso sacerdote” (Warning about a “fake priest”) – The Archdiocese of Cuenca warned about a person who is impersonating a priest to celebrate masses and engage in other activities without Church authorization. The statement said that Juan Jóse Flor is not a priest and has no authorization to minister to or solicit contributions from people, nor to organize pastoral activities, or represent the Church. <Be real suspicious if a priest suddenly shows up at your door, starts sermonizing, and then tells you to dig deep into your pocket to praise the Lord with generous infusions of cash. Uh…sort of like an itinerant mega-church. Or maybe Father Guido Sarducci has returned.>

(De El Mercurio del sábado 19/9) Balacera cerca de escuelas genera alarma: Esmeraldas (Shooting near schools causes alarm: Esmeraldas) There was a shooting outside of 3 schools in San Lorenzo canton, Esmeraldas Province. Videos on social media showed kids running to take cover from the bullets. According to the Policía Nacional, it was an attack on 2 men who were travelling near the schools and who were injured. After the incident, the MInisterio de Educación said it had activated the Plan Escudo (Shield Plan) in coordination with the Government of Esmeraldas, la Policía Nacional, and the Armed Forces to guarantee the safety of the educational community and of our children and teens. <I hope that the US hasn’t exported one of its worst psychoses – school shootings – to Ecuador.>

San Lorenzo canton Esmeraldas Province is where the U.S. and Ecuadorian military are currently conducting joint operations.

(De El Mercurio del sábado 19/9) Se buscan inversión china en proyectos energéticos (Seeking Chinese investment in energy projects) – According to Pres. Noboa, there are current discussions with China to improve the energy infrastructure in the country. <Like China is going to fix all the deficiencies in the current hydroelectric plants that it built?> The projects would a project that would produce 1,000 to 3,000 megawatts of solar energy to guarantee energy sustainability in the country until 2035.

(De El Mercurio del domingo 20/9) Perú registra 67 muertos por dengue (Peru reports 67 deaths from dengue) – So far this year, Perú has had 67 deaths from dengue in the context of unusually high temperatures and climate conditions associated with El Niño. Between enero y septiembre of this year, there have been 55,943 cases which is an increase of 79% over the same period in 2025 when 31,266 cases and 51 deaths were reported. Most of the cases were in the northern coast, bordering Ecuador, and in the Amazonian zones where temperatures have been over 30° C. for several weeks. The higher temperatures are creating conditions mosquitos need to breed, and it will get worse when the El Niño rains and flooding start. The regions most affected will be Piura, La Libertad and Lambayeque in northern Perú. <According to Google, dengue transmitting mosquitoes can’t live in Cuenca due to the altitude, but I still wouldn’t leave uncovered containers of water sitting around.>

(De El Mercurio del domingo 20/9) Diego Pesántez and Heidi Cevallos are a married couple dedicated to Ancestral Medicine. At Dianisa, they offer therapies, training, and experiences in bienestar (well-being — your word for the day, and may you have much of that in your life.) from the Andean cosmovision. Diego has been a student of this ancestral knowledge for 22 years after accepting an invitation to an Inti Raymi that changed the way he lived. Heidi has 15 years of experience in Ancestral Medicine.

Some people go to Dianisa seeking to transform some aspect of their life due to a problem which sometimes they do not recognize as a problem. Others want to change the course of their lives after situations such as divorce, a lack of affection due to migration, illness, abuse, and other causes. Diego and Heidi explained that Ancestral Medicine has a different viewpoint about illness. It can arise from unprocessed emotions that can end up lodging in a body part. Once liberated from this emotion, the body can start to heal. In this context, there is a difference between curación y sanación (curing and healing). Curing is focused on treating the body and alleviating physical symptoms with medicines and treatments, while healing is understood as an internal process that seeks to re-establish emotional, mental, and spiritual equilibrium, and bring well-being beyond the physical.

Over many years, the couple has incorporated different techniques including tobacco smoke, the sound of a drum, bowls, essences, and card reading. According to each person’s needs, different techniques and sounds can be used as part of the healing experience. To know more about this space or to make an appointment, call 098 744 7008. Dianisa is in the El Vado barrio on the on the slope up La Condamine.