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Amazonia Dammed

A documentary on an indigenous community's urgent fight against a megadam in the heart of the Amazon

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Amazonia Dammed

Amazonia Dammed

Amazonia Dammed

Amazonia Dammed

Amazonia Dammed

A documentary on an indigenous community's urgent fight against a megadam in the heart of the Amazon

A documentary on an indigenous community's urgent fight against a megadam in the heart of the Amazon

A documentary on an indigenous community's urgent fight against a megadam in the heart of the Amazon

A documentary on an indigenous community's urgent fight against a megadam in the heart of the Amazon

Ada Bodjolle
Ada Bodjolle
Ada Bodjolle
Ada Bodjolle
1 Campaign |
Bristol, United Kingdom
$1,098 USD 21 backers
13% of $8,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

 

“In one of the great tragedies of our age, indigenous traditions, stories, cultures and knowledge are winking out across the world. Whole languages and mythologies are vanishing, and in some cases even entire indigenous groups are falling into extinction.” (Source: Jeremy Hance, Mongabay)

Context:

With the rainforest under constant threat of development, indigenous and riverine communities unite at the forefront of the battle for the rainforest preservation. After years of fight, local communities recently obtained the suspension of the dam license, but this destructive project is unfortunately still on the government's priorities pipeline, menacing the livelihood of thousands of people.

Short Summary
Amazonia Dammed is a film documenting the Munduruku community's fight against a mega-dam planned in their land, situated in the heart of the Amazon Forest. 
The Munduruku warriors:

(Image courtesy of documentary filmmaker and photojournalist Fábio Nascimento, http://www.fabio-nascimento.com)

(Images courtesy of documentary photographer Aaron Vincent Elkaim, http://www.aaronvincentelkaim.com)
Fighting beside them is the neighbouring riverine community of Montanha e Mangabal, which is equally affected by this huge development:

(Images courtesy of photojournalist Maurício Torres, https://www.flickr.com/photos/mautorres/)

Our partners:

We are privileged to work with indigenous organisation Pariri, which represents seven Munduruku communities along the Tapajós river. Pariri has been active since 1998, fighting for the welfare and the cultural survival of Munduruku communities.  Our crew has been kindly invited by Chief Juarez Saw and Pariri's President Rozeni Saw to spend some time with the community of Sawré Muybu, one of the 3 villages whose land will be directly flooded by the mega-dam.

We will also have the opportunity to meet brave members of the traditional riverine communities of Montanha e Mangabal. They have been living by the Tapajós waters for centuries and have recently, after many years of struggle, scored an unprecedented victory, winning the rights to their land in court. Their land will also be directly affected by the mega-dam.

The issue:

The largest tropical forest on Earth is disappearing at an alarming rate.  

You have heard of the Amazon River, the Tapajos (running through 800km) is one of its largest tributaries in Brazil. It is an artery of life for this majestic forest and sadly one of its last great free flowing rivers. The Brazilian government are now planning the construction of the São Luiz do Tapajós hydroelectric complex, which will be one of the largest in the world, flooding about 73000Ha of mostly rainforest, home not only to invaluable fauna and flora (some of of which is still unknown to science), but also to more than 14000 people, indigenous and riverine communities. It will directly flood not only part of the Munduruku territory of Sawré Muybu, but also the traditional riverside communities of Montanha-Mangabal.

(Map showing the 5 dams forming the São Luíz do Tapajós Complex, planned on the Tapajós e Jamanxim rivers. (Image courtesy of ©Greenpeace))


Hundreds of dams are planned or already under construction in the whole Amazon. If these plans go forward, this could have catastrophic effects not only for the forest and the 30million people it supports, but also for the entire world. The Amazon is a major climate regulator.


(Source: International Rivers | The Washington Post)
Want to know more?
Greenpeace: Q&A: Brazil's giant new Amazon dam-building program and why it matters. http://energydesk.greenpeace.org/2016/02/11/qa-what-are-the-impacts-of-building-hydroelectric-dams-in-the-amazon/

National Geographic: Amazon Dams Keep the Lights On But Could Hurt Fish, Forests, http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/150419-amazon-dams-hydroelectric-deforestation-rivers-brazil-peru/

The Guardian: More than 400 dams planned for the Amazon and headwaters, http://www.theguardian.com/environment/andes-to-the-amazon/2014/may/06/more-400-dams-amazon-headwaters


Shooting in the Amazonian rainforest presents its unique challenges: financing, development, production, shooting conditions due to the location's remoteness. And for that we needed to double in preparation time and acquire extra equipment.

 We have been planning this project for months and we not only invested all our savings, but also took loans to get all camera kit and necessary equipment for this trip. 

But now we need your help for the next step of our production. Help us recover the transportation and logistical costs so we can continue to make this film.

As our crew is now travelling to distant spots of the Amazon forest; most of your generous contributions will help us recover some of the costs of shooting this film. In addition, to make this film as impactful as possible, we will be sending it to many film festivals in order to raise awareness on this very important issue. 

This is how your money is spent:



We have incredible support for this film. We already have a composer lined up, and we have mentoring guidance from top industry professionals from the BBC Natural History Unit here in Bristol. We will be using the university’s facilities for the postproduction stages.

Ada Bodjolle:

Filmmaker, photographer and motion designer (Check out her work on: www.hypnotiktv.co.uk). Last year she left her job and friends in London to launch on  a new adventure in Bristol: She has been accepted in the prestigious Wildlife Filmmaking Master at University of the West of England in association with the BBC Natural History Unit. As part of her course, she is directing a film in the Amazon Forest. With this film, she is hoping to bring awareness to the plight of the communities of the Tapajós River. She is a rock climber and a dedicated ashtanga yoga practitioner.

Elma Okic:

Photographer, videographer and multimedia producer with a curious mind and unrelenting passion (Here is her portfolio: turtle.photoshelter.com). Elma has worked on issues in environmental conservation, global health and events. Her recent assignments include:  Recent coverage major events and conferences at the UN Secretariat in Geneva. Climbed the Matterhorn as a photographer for the 150th anniversary of the first ascent from the Swiss side. Produced a series of videos on Malaria and HIV for United Nations Development Fund. She is passionate about rock and mountain climbing, ski touring, self-development and sustainable existence.
Peter Durin:

Peter Durin is rope technician with a strong passion for nature photography. He is our techy wizz, camera assistant and location logistics expert. He is an experienced drone operator, it is not his first time flying in tropical forests. He is a passionate rock and ice climber, ski mountaineer and mountain biker.

As partners Peter and Ada working together in many tropical countries. Here is some of their work:

http://www.hypnotiktv.co.uk/portfolio/panthera-tigris-tigris-tigers-in-ranthambore-national-park/

http://www.hypnotiktv.co.uk/portfolio/prakratik-societys-biogas-program-supported-by-foc-uk-2014/

http://www.hypnotiktv.co.uk/portfolio/salas-tatras-mountains-slovakia/



Members of crew will be travelling to the rainforest. Being in such a remote location poses certain constrains in terms of logistics. We are fortunate to be in touch with the Indigenous organisation Pariri, which is providing knowledge and  invaluable on and off location support.

Our team will be prepared for rainy conditions, we therefore budgeted contingency days to make sure we get all the necessary content for the film.


Your support:

We will not only be raising awareness on a major conservation issue, but we will open a space for members of the communities of the Tapajós River to tell their stories.

These stories should be heard out loud to the world. Together we can make this a reality.

Just for you.

To show you our appreciation for your contributions, we have special perks for you. From original illustrations to photo art prints; all our designs will be printed on recycled paper. Check out below:

A photography brochure, illustrating the beauty of Brazilian tropical forests and custom eco 48 pages A6 notebooks:

Artwork, badges and stickers inspired from the film:

And, for our early birds, we will be sending you a tote bag, made of organic cotton. This bag comes with the guaranty of decent working conditions for the people who made them. 

Tote poll: Help us select your favourite bag.

We want to make sure you get the design you love, so vote on the comment section. We will ship the most voted design.



No extra pennies? No worries.

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Choose your Perk

Welcome to the Jungle

$5 USD
Thanks for your contribution! You will have our eternal gratitude and the feeling of being part of something important. You will be receiving updates for the film and behind the scenes photos on this very page.
0 claimed
Ships worldwide.

Join our community

$10 USD
Thank you for joining in! Not only you will be receiving our updates, but we will also send you a shout out on our Facebook page to thank you for your contribution!
4 claimed

You are brilliant

$25 USD
We are $25 closer to our goal thanks to you. We will send you a thank you card with original artwork designed with love, printed on 100% recycled paper, and a custom sticker.
3 claimed
Ships worldwide.

Sneak peak

$50 USD
In addition to the above, we will send you a link to the film before its release, plus an exclusive A5 art print of the gorgeous Brazilian tropical forests or its iconic wildlife, signed by the crew.
2 claimed
Ships worldwide.

King of the forest

$75 USD
Keep a snatch of the incredible beauty of Brazilian tropical forests on your coffee table. We will send you a photography brochure in addition to all previous perks.
0 claimed
Ships worldwide.

You are ace

$100 USD
To show you some love, we will send you all the above perks, plus an organic tote bag, with a specially designed print. Let’s say no to plastic bags in our beautiful rivers and oceans! Please note that we are still designing our bag and would love to know your favourite design. Send us your vote on the comment section!
0 out of 20 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

Your name in the credits

$150 USD
You will find your name in the “Special Thanks“ section in the film credits, in addition to the following goodies: a link to download the film before release, a custom sticker and our eco-friendly printed gifts: our thank you card and the exclusive A5 print signed by the crew.
1 claimed
Ships worldwide.

Shinning star

$250 USD
To show you our appreciation, not only you will be featured in the “Special thanks“ section, but you will also receive all the good stuff: the organic tote bag, our photo brochure, a link to download the film before release, a custom sticker, our thank you card and the exclusive A5 print signed by the crew. Don’t forget to send us your design preference on the comment section!
1 out of 10 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

Your greatness

$250 USD
To thank you for your participation, we will offer you a place in the “Special thanks“ section in the film credit and our custom eco 48 pages A6 notebook! Have them with you, unleash your creativity on those blank pages. We will also send you our photo brochure, the exclusive A5 print signed by the crew, a link to download the film before release, our thank you card and a custom sticker.
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You are awesome

$500 USD
You are now our co-producer! How exciting to have you in our production team. We are honoured to send you our VIP eco- friendly printed goods: three of our custom eco 48 pages A6 notebooks (all three with different cover designs), the photo brochure, the A5 art print signed by the crew, a link to download the film before release, our thank you card and a sticker.
0 claimed
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Your own crew for the day

$750 USD
What about having your own photographer for a day? We will come to you for a day photoshoot, then print a 28 pages A6 eco brochure with your best photos for you and your family to enjoy. (England, Scotland and Wales only)
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You are the big boss

$1,000 USD
Thank you so much for your very generous contribution. We will credit you as an Executive producer in the film, send you all goodies our VIP goodies and invite you for a curry at our house in Bristol! (Travel expenses not included).
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