Behind the Story: Un|Contacted

On the eastern slopes of the Peruvian Andes lies an area of pristine rainforest, stretching into the Amazon basin for hundreds of miles. It's called Manu National Park, and it's one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. In Manu lives a band of tribes that has little or no contact with the outside world.

Soon this may change. In Peru, it has been strict policy not to establish contact, out of fear that diseases can easily spread. But recently, an uncontacted tribe, the Maschco Piro, has begun to seek contact with the outside world. What their motives are is one of the most pressing questions for conservationists and others who are committed to the tribes' survival.

Filmmaker Carl Gierstorfer spent years creating a documentary about the complex relationship between the Maschco Piro and the community across the river.