
The Territory
Brazil, Denmark, United States, 2022, 83'
In 1980, the Brazilian government came into contact for the first time with a never-heard-of Amazonian people, the Uru-eu-wau-wau. Their several communities counted a few thousands of members, while today, as a consequence of deforestation, there are barely two hundred left. Their land has been reduced to a very small portion of rainforest, surrounded by large rural outposts.
Reminiscent of a present-day western, The Territory is the epic story of a battle for a disputed land, showing the brave resistance of the Uru-eu-wau-wau struggling for their survival against illegal farmers and settlers of the Brazilian Amazon. Enabled by the government led by extreme-right wing Jair Bolsonaro, the latter are increasingly gnawing at the land reserved for the natives. Their only, vital weapon against injustice is images: the young community leader Bitaté Uru Eu Wau Wau, along with activist Neidinha Bandeira, has created a collective of self-taught video makers to record and report the colonizers’ violations and bullying.