Update: this event has been canceled due to concerns related to COVID-19, along with other Environmental Film Festival events. For more information, please refer to the DCEFF20 website.
Join the Pulitzer Center at the 28th Annual Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital on Monday, March 16, 2020, for an in-depth visual exploration focused on resistance in the rainforest.
Following the film screenings, we will have a conversation with several of the filmmakers and with Tupi, a mother, university student, activist, and Indigenous woman from the Lower Tapajós in the Brazilian Amazon. Tupi's work combatting violence against women and for the protection of human, cultural, and environmental rights is featured in the Pulitzer Center-supported "Rainforest Defenders" series.
Filmmakers on hand for the conversation include Pablo Albarenga, Gustavo Faleiros, and Eliza Barclay. Nora Moraga-Lewy, manager of the Pulitzer Center's Rainforest Journalism Fund, will moderate, and Nalu, another Brazilian activist, will accompany Tupi and translate.
The selection of short films from the Pulitzer Center's Rainforest Journalism Fund includes:
Tupí: A Story of Indigenous Courage and Resolve, by Francesc Badia i Dalmases and Pablo Albarenga for El País and OpenDemocracy. (Brazil)
Synopsis: A young woman from the Amazon finds strength to overcome a past of sexual, physical, and psychological abuse by turning to her roots and heritage. Tupi is an indigenous activist fighting to protect human rights in her region. Her story is the fifth and final in the short film series Rainforest Defenders, which highlights young leaders who are fighting to protect the forest.
Indigenous Communities Under Siege in Rondon's Land, by Gustavo Faleiros and Fábio Nascimento for InfoAmazonia. (Brazil)
Synopsis: In Rondônia, theft of wood, land grabbing in protected areas and threats to indigenous leaderships are commonplace. The Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau indigenous territory is in a constant attack by invaders. With the arrival of the government of Jair Bolsonaro, the interests for the diminution of the land of the Indians became evident. In this documentary, villagers from the Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau villages show the most recent outbreaks of invasion.
Restoring Indonesia's Peatlands—One Pasta at a Time, by Dan Grossman for The Christian Science Monitor. (Indonesia)
Synopsis: One-size-fits-all agriculture has robbed Indonesia's peatlands of its moisture. Now, the country is working to restore these historic swamps by embracing their boggy nature—and enjoying the pasta.
In Brazil, Fires and Deforestation Threaten Amazon Species' Survival, by Amna Nawaz and Mike Fritz for PBS NewsHour. (Brazil)
Synopsis: In the Amazon rainforest, record-breaking forest fires and ongoing deforestation threaten the survival of thousands of plant and animal species that call the ecosystem home. Scientists seeking to save them are carefully evaluating which areas of the vibrant Amazon biome to preserve -- knowing many are already lost. Amna Nawaz reports from Brazil on the efforts to save Amazon inhabitants.
Climate Superheroes: The Trees of Brazil, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, by Eliza Barclay and Kainaz Amira for Vox. (Brazil, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Congo)
Synopsis: Tropical forests in Indonesia, Brazil, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are under-appreciated superheroes regulating and rescuing the global climate. As part of a multimedia feature project, a reporting team from Vox shows the world how at least three tree species from rainforests in these countries regulate and interact with the global climate and weather patterns thousands of miles away. The trees' superpowers included their ability to be rainmakers and carbon guardians. Yet these forest ecosystems are threatened, especially from deforestation.
This program is free, but registration is requested.
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