STAGE: PRODUCTION

Directed by: Danilo Guajajara & Patrick Granja

Estimated duration: 90min

Executive Production: Juliana Guajajara, Kaliman Chiappini, Ana Beatriz Salgado & Jason O'hara

Tags: Human Rights, Amazon, Environment

 

Our documentary unfolds against the majestic and threatened backdrop of the Mearim River in Maranhão, a region that symbolizes the ongoing struggle of the Tenetehara Guajajara people against the destructive forces of agribusiness and state neglect. The film is an intimate and powerful journey, guided by indigenous protagonists who embody the resilience of their own people. Furthermore, the film’s director, Danilo, is also indigenous, adding authenticity and depth to the narrative.

 

The Mearim River, which originates in the Negra, Menina and Crueiras mountain ranges, symbolizes more than just a watercourse. For the Guajajara, it is a sacred entity, vital to their physical and spiritual survival. However, the river and its guardians face a growing threat: pollution and destruction caused by the uncontrolled expansion of agribusiness. As the river winds its way through countless small towns, it is progressively contaminated by agricultural waste, which poisons its waters and destroys its ancestral purity.

 

Our project will address the various aspects of this crisis, from water contamination by pesticides and cattle feces to the devastating impact of salinization, which turns freshwater into a toxic liquid. We will document how the health of the Guajajara community is affected, with serious illnesses and frequent outbreaks of poisoning. Alarming data reveals that between 2019 and 2022, more than 14,000 people were poisoned by pesticides in Brazil, resulting in hundreds of deaths.

 

Through an intimate and humanized perspective, our documentary will reveal the spiritual relationship of the Guajajara with the Mearim River, highlighting how the destruction of the river is also the destruction of an ancient way of life. We will see indigenous leaders mobilizing against invaders, patrolling their territory and facing constant threats. We will highlight the role of these leaders and the courage needed to protect their lands and their people, often at the cost of their lives.

 

Our documentary exposes the interests behind this devastation: international agricultural commodity monopolies and their subsidiaries, whose actions devastate the environment and stifle ancestral cultures. In 523 years of resistance, the Tenetehara Guajajara have faced many challenges. This film is a tribute to their resilience and a wake-up call for the urgent need to protect the Mearim River and its people.

 

This project aims to inspire action and change. It is a question for all of us: protecting the sacred waters of Mearim is protecting the lives, cultures and futures of all. Through the lens of the film, the world will see what is at stake and, we hope, join this essential fight for environmental and social justice.