This incredible documentary follows the Amazonian Uru-eu-wau-wau tribe as they battle to defend their land from illegal settlers and non-native farmers in Brazil. The land in question is a 7000 sq. mile island of green rainforest, now surrounded on all sides by ranches and farms after decades of aggressive deforestation, with farmers carrying out illegal logging and burning in order to seize control. This film documents the last three years of this struggle, and is partially shot by the Uru-eu-wau-wau themselves. The result is a gripping on-the-ground experience of people fighting not only for their survival, but for an ecosystem on which we all depend.

What we think

The increased burning of Amazonian rainforest has made headlines around the world in recent years. While we hear about the consequences of losing one of Earth’s biggest carbon sinks in the media, we hear less about the Indigneous people who are often the first victims of such destruction. For this reason, The Territory struck us as an important film to include. What makes the film even more unique, however, is that when the Covid-19 pandemic forced the filmmakers to cease contact with the tribe, they chose instead to give them the equipment to film their experiences themselves. The Territory is therefore a remarkable film, not just a reminder of the human cost to the deforestation we read about, but crucially, one told in part by those most affected.