Films, Documentaries and Other Videos
Several feature films and documentaries help to tell the story of Amazon conservation, including:
Raoni, released in 1978, follows the struggle, of the Indigenous chief Raoni, through the preservation of the Xingu national park, while threanted by hunters, landgrabbers, and loggers.
The Emerald Forest, released in 1985, tells the story of a Westerner who grows up as part of an Amazon tribe and re-enters urban civilization in search of family
Banking on Disaster, released in 1988 by Bullfrog Films, documents the consequences of paving a road into the Amazon
Killing for Land, released in 1990, shares the journey of poor farmers who migrate to the Amazon as homesteaders
The Killing of Chico Mendes, released in 1990, and Burning Season, released in 1994, tell the story of Chico Mendes organizing workers in the Amazon.
The Fate of the Kidnapper, released in 1999, tells the story of a homestead family and the Uru Eu Wau Wau tribe
Return from Extinction, released in 1999, documents the invasion, disappearance and return of the Indigenous Panara tribe
The Shaman’s Apprentice, released in 2001, follows an ethnobotanist in the Amazon searching for plants that heal
They Killed Sister Dorothy, released in 2007 by HBO, tells the story of Sister Dorothy Stang, her defense of the Amazon, and the trial that followed her assassination.
Amazon with Bruce Parry is a docuseries by the BBC released in 2008 with full episodes on Amazon.com UK and some on Youtube.
Children of the Amazon, released in 2008, follows Brazilian filmmaker Denise Zmekhol as she travels a modern highway deep into the Amazon in search of the Indigenous Surui and Negarote children she photographed fifteen years before.
Crude, released on 2009, reports about a class action lawsuit against the Chevron Corporation for oil pollution in the Ecuadorian Amazon
10th Parallel, released in 2011 by Icarus Films, documents a journey of contact with uncontacted tribes in Brazil
Fight for Amazonia, released in 2012 by Al Jazeera, follows Brazil’s youngest national park director as she declares war on drug gangs and the logging mafia
Oil and Water, released in 2014 by Bullfrog films, tells the story of two young leaders and oil exploration in the Ecuadorean Amazon
Toxic Amazon, released in 2014 by Vice, documents the link between deforestation and slavery.
Tipping Point: The Amazon, released in 2014, chronicles the conflict between Brazilian economic development and Amazonian sustainability
Embrace the Serpent, released in 2015, dramatizes the journeys of an ethnographer, a shaman and a botanist through the Amazon in search of the rare plant yakruna
Taego Awa, released in 2016, features the story of two filmmakers who found VHS tapes containing cultural records of the Ãwa tribe. In search of the group, they discovered a historic trajectory of confrontation with white people dating back to 1973.
River of Gold, released in 2016 by the Amazon Aid Foundation, documents the problem of illegal gold mining in the Amazon
Beyond Fordlandia, released in 2017, tells the story of the failed attempt by Henry Ford to create a rubber production plantation in the Amazon
Belo Monte After the Flood, released in 2017, documents the controversial dam on the Xingu river.
The Crying Forest, released in 2017 by Al Jazeera, documents the story of activist Jose Ribeiro da Silva who died protecting the Amazon forest
Creatures of the Amazon Rainforest, released in 2017 by National Geographic, documents the biodiversity of the region
Grazing the Amazon, released in 2018, narrates the history of cattle in the Amazon from government policies back in the 1960s to the problems of deforestation today
Ex-Shaman, released in 2018, tells the story of the Paiter Surui, an Amazon tribe suffering from exposure to modernity, and persistant former shaman who is search for ways to restore the vitality of his village.
The Amazon – The Awakening of Florestania, released in 2019, is a portrait of how politics and destruction can go hand in hand, depending on the interests of those in power, and how the development of Brazil has been linked to the destruction of the forest.
Aruanas, released in 2019, is a fictional TV series about NGO activists who investigate illegal miners in the Brazilian Amazon.
Green Frontier, released in 2019, on Netflix, is a fictional crime thriller miniseries about a detective who travels deep into the Amazon.
Guardians of the Amazon, released on 2019, is an ABC News documentary about a small indigenous group taking up arms to hunt down illegal loggers and fight for their land.
REBBL with a Cause, released in 2019, tells the creation story of REBBL tea in the Peruvian Amazon to ‘wild harvest” Brazil nuts, generate income, prevent human trafficking and conserve forests
How Crime Drives Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon, released in 2019 by the Financial Times, features experiences of illegal mining, logging and other kinds of organized crime, and the burdens it puts on the forest.
Guradians of the Forest, released in 2020 by OnePlanet, tells the story of the Maijuna Indigenous group of the Peruvian Amazon as they fight for their biologically rich ancestral lands and cultural survival.
Amazon Uncovered, released in 2020, with support from the Munduruku audiovisual collective, shows Amazonian biodiversity and forest degradation over four decades while local populations unite to register their land.
Nheengatu, released in 2020, follows the search for speakers of a lost hybrid language used to reduce diversity and convert Amazonians to christianity in the upper Rio Negro.
The Condor and the Eagle, released in 2020, follows the trip of indigenous leaders from North America to the Amazon people from the North and South for climate justice
Guardians of the Amazon, released in 2020 by ABC News, documents an indigenous group working to prevent illegal logging
The Story of the Siege of the Amazon, released in 2020 by Friends of the Earth Brazil, documents the resistance of local Amazonians against the illegal advances of industry in the time of COVID19
Takeout, released in 2020, chronicles Amazon forest fires, their causes, and recent deforestation trends while exploring food choices, greed, political corruption and other criminal activities.
Martírio: 40 Years of Struggle for Survival, released in 2020, explores genocide of the Guaraní Kaiowá people, their conflict with agribusiness, and their demand of the Brazilian Congress to recognize their land and halt evictions. (Screenings)
Yasuni Man, released in 2020, features the life and journey of the Waorani people of Ecuador, their nature and their struggle for conservation and survival against the advances of the oil industry. (Website)
Antamiki, released in 2020 by the Environmental Investigation Agency and REVERB, follows a group of musicians to the Peruvian Amazon to learn about illegal logging from indigenous leaders.
The Last Forest, released in 2021, documents the Indigenous community of the Yanomami and depicts their threatened natural environment in the Amazon rain forest.
Seeding Change, released in 2021, is a documentary about new companies taking on the environmental crisis (including Amazon deforestation) and empowering consumers to make change by voting with their dollars.
The Territory, released in 2022, is a documentary about land conflict in the Amazon between indigenous people and cattle ranchers
We Are Guardians, released in 2022, features the dynamics between an indigenous community protecting its forest, an illegal logger fighting poverty, and a large landowner facing invaders and extractive industries. We learn about the offerings of the forest and its role in global climate stability.
Gyuri, released in 2022, follows the story of a Swiss photographyer and an indigenous leader as they worked together to secure recognition of the Yanomami territory in the Amazon
Amazon Summit 2023, features the influence of social movements in shaping the agenda of the Pan-Amazonian summit of government leaders.
Taking Down the Amazon Mafia, released in 2024 by National Geographic, as part of the series TRAFFICKED, Mariana van Zeller travels to the Amazon to track down the criminal networks behind a slew of killings and the illegal destruction of the rainforest.
Forests of Food, released in 2024, a BBC News team visits Tome-Acu in Para, Brazil to meet a Japanese community that created a forest of food and became a reference for presenting deforestation.
