Bechis, Marco. Birdwatchers: Das Land der roten Menschen [Birdwatchers: The Land of the Red People]. In cooperation with Greenpeace and Survival International. Sao Paulo: Gullane, and Rome: Classic, 2009. 108 min.
The Guarani-Kaiowá people in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul act out their own story, which tells of their fate after being dispossessed of their land for the cultivation of genetically modified crops. Director Marco Bechis explores the environment of the Brazilian rainforest as contrasted with that created by modern agricultural plantations and the reserves allotted to the Guarani-Kaiowá. The birdwatching tourists alluded to in the film’s main title provide a further layer to this meditation on the plight of an indigenous people, who are perhaps as vulnerable as they are resistant, as the ties to their ancestral lands are undone. (Source: Official Film Website)
© 2009 Pandora Film Verleih. Trailer used by permission.