An evening at COP31
The film is presented during COP31 in Antalya, in the presence of Chief Tapi Yawalapiti, leader of the Upper Xingu, who carries the voice of peoples protecting millions of hectares of Amazon forest.
6:45 PM
From the Expo Center, in front of the Blue Zone accreditation area.
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By invitation. Please confirm by 10 November. Guests subject to availability. The film is shown with English subtitles.
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A century of resistance.
Fifteen years of witness.
For nearly a century, Chief Raoni has defended the Xingu against a development that would destroy all that is sacred and natural.
At over ninety, he makes a last journey down the river to the Kuarup, the ceremony for the spirits of the ancestors. Immersive images, rare archives and Kayapó myths tell a lifetime’s fight to protect the living world.
For more than fifteen years, the filmmakers have followed Raoni and other Indigenous leaders across the territories of the Amazon, recording their stories, their struggles and the passing of a legacy between generations. Alongside, they gathered a vast collection of photographs, films and historical records documenting Raoni, the Xingu and the fight to preserve Brazil’s forests over the last hundred years.
The result is a cinematic archive that connects memory, territory and the future of the Amazon.
years of filming alongside Raoni and the leaders of the Xingu
years of archives on Raoni, the Xingu and Brazil’s forests
last journey down the river, to the Kuarup
Chief Tapi Yawalapiti
Yawalapiti leader · Upper XinguTapi Yawalapiti is a chief of the Yawalapiti people, in the Xingu Indigenous Territory. He continues the legacy of his father, the historic chief Aritana Yawalapiti, in the defense of Indigenous rights and the protection of the forest.
He holds a master’s degree in Social Anthropology from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), with research on territory, the way of life of his people and the challenges they face today. He works alongside Chief Raoni and other leaders against deforestation, mining and the projects that threaten the Xingu, and is a prominent voice in national and international forums.
The team
Alexandre Bouchet
Director · Yemaya ProductionsDirector and founder of Yemaya Productions (France), Alexandre Bouchet has built a filmography dedicated to Indigenous cultures and environmental protection. He has directed around thirty documentaries, including Belo Monte, Arc de Feu and Orlamundo (Disney+), shown in dozens of countries.
With the series Peuples Racines for ARTE, he explores the collaboration between Indigenous communities and scientists in the preservation of biodiversity.
André Lefcadito
Director · Estilingue FilmesCreative director with over 18 years in film and television, André Lefcadito has led projects for the UN, UNESCO and UNICEF, and documentary series for Netflix, Globo, Canal Off, Band and Sony. He holds a master’s degree in Documentary from Pompeu Fabra University and founded Estilingue Filmes.
In Raoni, Guardian of the Amazon, he leads an immersive narrative about ancestral knowledge and the future of the forest.
Raoni Metuktire
Chief of the Kayapó people · XinguFor more than half a century, Raoni Metuktire has carried one of the world’s most recognised voices for the Amazon and its peoples.
Chief of the Kayapó, he turned the defense of his territory into a cause shared far beyond Brazil. His struggle has helped protect vast Indigenous lands along the Xingu, where the forest and its peoples continue to live together.
For Indigenous peoples, he embodies dignity, resistance and unity. For the rest of the world, he is a reminder that protecting the forest means protecting the living world we all depend on, and the peoples who have kept it alive for millennia.
Today, a new generation of leaders carries his legacy forward.
This presentation is offered as a tribute to Chief Raoni Metuktire, to his family, and to the peoples of the Xingu who carry his fight forward.
Back to the villages
The film is finished. Its next journey leads back to where it was born.
With your support, the film will be screened in Indigenous villages and territories of the Xingu and the Amazon, so that the communities who are part of this story can see it, and the new generation can carry Raoni’s legacy forward. Write to us to receive the partnership dossier.