Oscar-Contender ‘Yanuni,’ From Director Richard Ladkani And Producer Leonardo DiCaprio, Documents Incredible Story Of Indigenous Brazilian Leader Juma Xipaia

When she was just 16, Juma Xipaia of Brazil’s Indigenous Xipaya people gave an interview in which she foresaw a challenging destiny for herself.

“My future? Fighting for the Indigenous cause,” she said. “My life is going to be one of struggle.”

She couldn’t have been more prophetic. In her early 30s now, she has risen to become the first woman chief of the Middle Xingu region and in her position of leadership has advocated for Indigenous rights and protection of the Amazon rainforest. All of which has made her a target of those seeking conquest over Indigenous territory to exploit the land and resources for lucre.

The Oscar-contending documentary Yanuni, directed and produced by Richard Ladkani and produced by a team including Juma Xipaia, Anita Ladkani and Leonardo DiCaprio, reveals her indefatigable devotion to the struggle.

“Since I was a child, I was taught to defend, to fight, to resist in order to exist,” Juma tells Deadline. Referring to that interview she gave as a teenager, she says, “That’s why I was absolutely sure that my life would be one of struggle, because I would never negotiate our rights.”

Yanuni won the directing award at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival and Best Documentary at the Red Nation Film Festival earlier in the fall and received Honorable Mention for Best Feature Documentary at the IDA Documentary Awards held over the weekend.

“When we decided to make this film, Juma had just survived the sixth attempt on her life,” Ladkani remarks. “I knew if I would just be allowed to follow her, her life would be extremely interesting because it’s a constant life in crisis and it’s a life where decisions are made of life and death. Because if she goes up and speaks on this panel or on this big podium or goes to this protest, she will be targeted even more.”

The threat of death takes many forms for the Xipaya. According to the documentary, 570 children have died because of exposure to toxins in the water caused by illegal gold mining in their territory. The film contains shocking scenes of large-scale mining operations that pollute rivers and ground water with mercury.

The heavy metal is used to bind with gold particles. “Gold is then extracted by vaporizing the mercury,” explains the nonprofit Global Environmental Facility. “[M]ercury is… highly toxic to humans, animals, and the environment when not handled properly.”

“Mining is not only destroying our territory [but] our way of life,” Juma says. “Mercury causes a direct impact on future generations. I don’t know how much I and the people in the Amazon are contaminated with mercury, but I know that we, Indigenous women above all, are nursing our children, our babies, with contaminated [breast] milk. We are poisoning the next generations.”

Juma’s husband, Hugo Loss, works for IBAMA, Brazil’s primary environmental agency. In the film he and other team members combat mining operations, blowing up ships used to facilitate the illegal trade.

“[Because] gold is a very expensive commodity, there is currently a large influx of organized crime,” involved in the mining, Loss says, citing names of some of the cartels: Comando Vermelho and Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC). “These cartels used to act from within the favelas of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Today, they are operating within the mining sites, within our territory.”

The cartels have confederates in government, Loss alleges. “A month ago, I was in Amapá – a state of Brazil – carrying out an operation to combat mining and while we were there, we received a call on the cell phone of one of the miners, and it was the vice-governor of the State of Amapá, asking [us] to stop the operation.”

It’s not only cartels (and allegedly government officials) that want in on the mining profits. So do big corporations, like Canada’s Belo Sun. On the Belo Sun website (which is emblazoned with the motto “Building Prosperity Through Responsible Mining”) the company says it’s “advancing the Volta Grande Gold Project in Pará State, Brazil. The project offers long-term value generated by its long mine life, robust production, low operating costs, and attractive economics.”

“The Canadian company Belo Sun… aims to be the biggest open-pit mining company in Brazil,” Juma asserts. The Indigenous leader suggests the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will back Belo Sun’s plans, as did the administration of Lula’s predecessor, right-wing Pres. Jair Bolsonaro.

“We are not only suffering persecution in the previous government,” Juma says, “but in this current government as well. They want to intimidate and silence people in every way. That is why [the documentary] Yanuni is a tool that transcends any government.”

Juma has been traveling the world with the film, beginning at Tribeca Festival in New York in June, where the documentary held its world premiere. Getting to the U.S. from the Amazon rainforest requires a tremendous effort, one Xipaia and her husband undertook last week for screenings in Los Angeles and to attend the IDA Documentary Awards, where Yanuni was nominated for Best Cinematography.

“The logistics to get here involve approximately three days by boat across the river,” Hugo explains, “then one flight from Altamira to Belém and then a flight from Belém to São Paulo to Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) and then to here (in LA), so there are a lot of connections over that period.”

For Juma, the journey is worth it to bring attention to her cause and the plight of her people, even though it has meant being separated from her young children for extended periods.

“I’m here now, away from the kids, without my home,” she tells Deadline. “Our mothers are filling in doing our part that we should be doing as parents.”

Juma adds, “But I keep wondering why I had agreed to be on this project. [I concluded] because when Richard arrived at the time, I really had no other option. Either I remained in a process of forced silencing because of threats and assassination attempts or I would try again to tell the world what is happening not only to me, but to many women and to many peoples.”

View this article at Deadline.