Geoffrey O'Connor, the filmmaker of Contact and At The Edge of Conquest has produced this fascinating chronicle of recent political events in the Brazilian Amazon. Beginning with the assassination of Chico Mendes in 1988 and ending with a return trip to Yanomami Territory in 1995, this six year journey provides an illuminating perspective on the volatile changes of this era.

Besides documenting events, O'Connor analyzes the complex interaction between semi-isolated indigenous societies and "outsiders." In collaboration with Brazilian anthropologist Alcida Ramos, he explores the return of the "noble savage phenomena", wherein outsiders created misleading illusions about Indian societies. This cultural confusion explains many of the region's tragic events.

This insightful look at the Amazon includes exclusive sequences of the events surrounding the massacre of a village of Yanomami Indians, the demarcation of Kayapo Territory, and the rock star Sting's frank assessment of his own involvement in rain forest politics. This new release from a veteran observer of the Amazon scene sheds new light on cultural confrontation.

"Beautifully made and painfully honest." Prof. Emeritus Eric R. Wolf, City University Graduate Center
"So dense with information, so steadfast in its impact." L.A. Times
"Especially powerful...ventures into territory that no other documentary of the region has entered."
American Anthropologist
"This sharp personal essay distills the contradictions of the decade more insightfully than any other documentary."
L.A. Weekly
"One of the best syntheses of Amazonian politics and ethnology ever." Beth Conklin, anthropologist, Vanderbilt University

Latin American Studies Association, 1998
International Documentary Association, Nomination, 1996
Margaret Mead Film Festival, 1996
Silver Apple, National Educational Film & Video Festival, 1996