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Contact: The Yanomami Indians of Brazil
| Length: | 28 min |
| Released: | 1991 |
| Ages: |
High School College Adult |
Buy Online Streaming
Shot in one of the most remote corners of the Brazilian Amazon, Contact graphically depicts the devastating impact of contact with the outside world on an isolated indigenous tribe, the Yanomami Indians, often considered last major Stone Age people in the Amazon.
Since a 1987 incursion of Brazilian gold miners, an estimated 15 percent of the Yanomami Indians have died from malaria and related diseases, conditions to which they have little resistance. The mining operations have polluted rivers and scared away game animals, destroying the Yanomami’s traditional ecosystem. Although the Brazilian government is ostensibly trying to protect the group, such efforts are undermined by mining interests in this coveted ancestral land.
Despite being labeled a national security zone and off limits to all unauthorized persons, producer Geoffrey O'Connor was smuggled into Yanomami territory to record the plight of these endangered peoples.
Since a 1987 incursion of Brazilian gold miners, an estimated 15 percent of the Yanomami Indians have died from malaria and related diseases, conditions to which they have little resistance. The mining operations have polluted rivers and scared away game animals, destroying the Yanomami’s traditional ecosystem. Although the Brazilian government is ostensibly trying to protect the group, such efforts are undermined by mining interests in this coveted ancestral land.
Despite being labeled a national security zone and off limits to all unauthorized persons, producer Geoffrey O'Connor was smuggled into Yanomami territory to record the plight of these endangered peoples.
"He deserves enormous praise for the risks he took to make a straight forward but sympathetic presentation of basic facts." ‒ Napoleon A. Chagnon, American Anthropologist
"I think that all anthropology students who see 'The Ax Fight' or 'The Feast' or any of Asch's films should . . . see this piece." ‒ Professor Jay Ruby, Visual Anthropology, Temple University
"A must for all college video collections." ‒ Choice
"I think that all anthropology students who see 'The Ax Fight' or 'The Feast' or any of Asch's films should . . . see this piece." ‒ Professor Jay Ruby, Visual Anthropology, Temple University
"A must for all college video collections." ‒ Choice
CINE Golden Eagle, 1990
Second Prize, Athens International Film Festival, 1991
Earth/Peace International Festival, 1991
Native American Film & Video Festival, 1991
Latin American Studies Association, 1991
Gold Award, Houston International Film Festival, 1990
American Film & Video Festival, 1990
Second Prize, Athens International Film Festival, 1991
Earth/Peace International Festival, 1991
Native American Film & Video Festival, 1991
Latin American Studies Association, 1991
Gold Award, Houston International Film Festival, 1990
American Film & Video Festival, 1990
