Alex Pritz’s documentary The Territory puts us at the forefront of the fight to protect Brazil’s Amazon rainforest. Prytz embeds in us both ur yu wow wow, the indigenous community under threat, and the farmers who seize indigenous lands with apparent impunity. Its hands-on approach brings an instinctive suspense to global environmental issues, allowing you to see first-hand how communities (less than 200 people) fight for survival in new ways.
“It’s been an active conflict, a long, slow war,” said Pritz, who shot in Somalia and Sudan last week. It features heroes like media-savvy young Indigenous leader Vitate Ulu You Wah Wah and nervous veteran activist Nadinya Bandeira, but the threat of violence is all too real. We talked to Pritz (who started production in 2018) about how to navigate multiple perspectives and visualize vast deforestation. Below is an edited excerpt of the conversation.
Uru Eu Wau How did you build trust with the Wau community?
The key to any documentary is any relationship that takes place off-camera. I think the elders in particular were skeptical of outsiders. They had complete media fatigue. “What the hell are these journalists doing that are stealing our time coming here and we don’t see any change?” I wanted to show you how and what you can do. The elders had never seen a feature film before, so it was a slow process.
A big part was bringing some little cameras and having people interviewed and trying to demonstrate what it meant to be part of a documentary. — [including] “Baclaw” — and we talked about representation in the media.
How did Uru Eu Wau Wau help film the film during the coronavirus pandemic?
In August 2020, I brought in a bunch of other camera kits and audio equipment, disinfected them, and left them on the outskirts of the village. People picked up cameras and communicated via WhatsApp about technical issues. I was. Arrest the intruder. I’ve filmed a lot of surveillance missions myself, and when I saw the footage from Tangãi, it was clear from the first frame that he was clearly superior. On the other hand, by working with Uru Eu Wau Wau as co-producers, they receive an equal share of the film’s direct profits.
Amazon has a long tradition of participatory filmmaking. I was really inspired by Vincent Carelli and his Video nas Aldeias. [Video in the Villages]and Brazil has a great network of indigenous media creators.
How did you incorporate the farmer’s perspective?
It was Neidinha and Vitate who inspired me to reach out to them. [They felt] If you want to show that we really stand up, talk to those who are committing these acts of violence and vandalism.of [farmers] Rio Bonito’s association felt like they had some immunity because their man was in office at the time. He and many of these settlers sought to deny the legitimacy of indigenous peoples engaged in technology.
the peasants were skeptical and distrustful [of us], but I think they admire America, especially the American West.especially from now on [film] In 2018, under Trump’s America, they felt mutual respect for Brazil and America as colonial nations. And they consider themselves the heroes of this story.
Our basic social contract was, “You are going to speak for yourself and you will be presented with an opinion that conflicts with yours.” I didn’t say I was going to talk to Vitate ul eu wow wow next week! I was never put in a position where I had to give up sensitive information, so I had to make the information boundaries very clear. It’s morally and ethically bad, but it’s also dangerous. There was always the feeling that you were being watched. A picture of me was sent from an unknown number.
Have you ever felt that your life was in danger?
I was more worried than usual about our team members in Brazil. But we were fully aware of the risks. And they are definitely there. The rule of law does not extend to many of these areas of the Amazon. There was a moment when I felt like, ‘I have to get out of town right now. This interview did not go well. There’s a hotel in a small town of 150 people, but it’s not really a hotel, it’s someone’s home, and everyone knows you’re there. And I was chased out of town or something.
The film also zooms out on dramatic satellite images of deforestation. how did they come together?
Vast amounts of land are being devoured, and the only firewalls against it are these indigenous territories, which can be clearly seen in these timelapses. I originally created this entire sequence in Google Earth Pro. Luckily, our executive producer was his 25-year-old awesome activist Txai Sruí. Her father, Almir Sruí, said ten years ago she went to Google and said, “We need better images of Amazon!” Through that relationship, we were able to ask Google Earth for permission to use these images. But it was cool full circle to realize that the only reason we have these images is because of another Aboriginal leader who had already thought of this.