April 13, 2022

17:04

Iury Lima – Cenarium Magazine

VILHENA (RO) – It was during the closing session of the It’s All True Festival, that the struggle of the Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau Indigenous People, from Rondonia, to defend their territories against squatters, deforesters and farmers, won the screens in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, last Sunday, 10. The first screening of ‘The Territory’ in Brazil, which took place simultaneously in both capitals, is followed by notable awards at the Sundance Film Festival and the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival. 

In an interview with CENARIUM, Neidinha Surui – as she prefers to be called -, an indigenous activist and one of the producers of the documentary, says that “attending the screening of the documentary in São Paulo was very exciting. “The theater was packed and with a waiting list (…) We were with a large group of Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau who saw themselves on the big screen, so it was pure emotion,” said the defender of the rights of native peoples.

‘The Territory’

Directed by Alex Pritz and produced by filmmakers Darren Aronofsky and Sigrid Dyekjaer, as well as producers and filmmakers from the ethnic group portrayed in the plot, such as the young indigenous leader Bitaté Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau, ‘The Territory’ shows, through an immersive look, how the members of this original group have seen their population decline and the threat to their culture advance since contact with non-indigenous man.

The almost one and a half hour plot, intertwined with real stories, lived by the members of the villages, also portrays the invasion and illegal exploitation of the Indigenous Land (TI) that crosses 12 of the 52 municipalities in the state of Rondonia, a region that suffers from mining and illegal logging. In the same measure, the feature film does not let go unnoticed the land grabbing stimulated by politicians, including the President of the Republic Jair Bolsonaro (PL), in addition to the advance of deforestation and the assassination of activists. An exposé of the truth filmed in a three-year long process. 

“I believe that the viewers felt the need and urgency to defend the rights and demarcation of indigenous territories. Many people had their eyes filled with tears, very emotional and expressing their support,” Neidinha Surui told the report.

Thanks and protest

The movie theater was also a place to thank and protest against the insanities fed by dark times of intolerance, prejudice and negationism.

“I want to thank the It’s all True Festival and all of you who are here to watch the film, and especially to thank and recognize the original peoples of this region, of this land that is now called São Paulo, but, as we know, was the land of the Guarani Mbya and Tupi Guarani peoples,” said the film’s director, Alex Pritz, during the ceremony.

Neidinha Suruí took off the blouse she was wearing over her T-shirt, revealing the phrase “Fora Bolsonaro”, an act that drew shouts and applauses from the audience. “What you are going to see in the film is happening, right now, right now. Seven days ago, we had another assassination of an Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau, and the assassinations against Indigenous Peoples are happening all over Brazil; the invasions and the setbacks in rights,” said the activist and co-producer.

“We are counting a lot, a lot, on each one of you who were here, so that the crimes stop. So that they stop killing activists, so that they stop killing forest guardians. We can not stand this anymore, we can not stand this anymore (…) We are fighting here for a better Brazil for all: indigenous, non-indigenous, black, LGBTQIA+, rich, poor (…) down with racism, down with discrimination, down with prejudice,” shouted Neidinha.

Protagonism

For the activist, the film brings a great message to Brazil: the indigenous protagonism and the importance that traditional peoples reach even more prominent places to break such outdated stigmas, besides contributing to the history of Brazilian culture and audiovisual. 

“The film won awards at Sundance and also in Copenhagen. So, these awards represent, for the indigenous peoples, the recognition of the struggle, the certainty that others will know what is happening, and the certainty that we have indigenous filmmakers. This is the strengthening of indigenous peoples, also, in cultural production and in filmmaking. It is the certainty that they are showing their own look and making their own history”, she affirmed.

“This type of audiovisual production is very important for Brazil, at a time when culture is undervalued by the current government, where cultural resources are being taken away. It is very important to have this kind of production, an award-winning production, strengthening culture and the fight for cultural support,” concluded Neidinha Suruí.