Aruanas (“Sentinels of Nature”) aims to raise awareness of the threats to the rainforest, indigenous communities and society at large, by bringing these threats closer to home.
Environmental crimes in the Amazon are the subject of a new Brazilian drama
series, Aruanas.
The Globo and Maria Farinha Films co-production, which brought
Greenpeace on board as a technical advisor, is now streaming on
Globoplay in Brazil and on the Vimeo-powered platform
aruanas.tv in more than 150 countries.
Co-written by Estela Renner and Marcos Nisti, Aruanas seeks to
highlight the critical and dangerous world of environmental advocates, who risk
their own lives to fight for environmental and social justice, and a more
sustainable world for future generations.
The environmental thriller follows three female friends who set up an NGO called
Aruana that investigates the suspicious activities of a mining company
operating in the Amazon. The activists have each discovered evidence of a
renowned national mining company running an illegal project. The suspenseful
plot involves an anonymous cry for help, mysterious illnesses, an assassination
and threats to indigenous people. And in true telenovela fashion, along with the
intrigue as the characters get closer to exposing environmental crimes and
secrets, they also grapple with their own ghosts and personal dramas.
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But while the premise depicts a real-life environmental crisis in deservedly dramatic fashion, the producers say the intent is not to leave viewers with a feeling of doom.
“Aruanas is an invitation for us to dream of a more just and sustainable
future,” Maria Farinha Films said in a statement. “It is entertainment put at
the service of a pressing and important global cause, by taking the debate about
the conservation of rainforests and work of environmental activists to the whole
world.”
While fictional, Aruanas highlights the real, life-threatening nature of
environmental journalism and activism in Brazil’s Amazon — 57 environmental
defenders were killed in the country in 2017. Over the last three years, Brazil has ranked
number one in number of activists killed; and in 2018, the Amazon reported a
deforestation spike of 14 percent, the worst rate in a decade.
“We want this show to make the environment a subject for the average family at
the dinner table — to make it a more everyday topic for Brazilians,” series
co-creator Marcos Nisti told the
Guardian.
“This is not other people’s problem — it’s our problem. It’s a problem for all
human existence."
More and more TV and film productions are aiming to increase public awareness and understanding of some of our most critical environmental issues, but most — including the BBC's "Blue Planet II", Netflix's Chasing Coral and Showtime's "Years of Living Dangerously" — are presented documentary-style. Aruanas joins a smaller category of productions — such as Netflix's Okja and Chipotle's 2014 comedy series, "Farmed and Dangerous" — in expanding the narrative category.
“We want to enter people’s hearts,” Nisti said. “It’s not the normal way we get
information about global warming, but it’s a way to connect with people.”
Aruanas shines a light on the ongoing battle over the world’s largest
rainforest during a time of political domination in Brazil by agribusiness
interests. As the Guardian points
out,
the sector is represented by the largest caucus in Brazil’s congress —
the ruralista bloc —and in 2018, the country elected its longtime ally, Jair
Bolsonaro, as president. Since then, Bolsonaro has followed in the footsteps
of the current administration here in the
US
— launching an unprecedented attack on environmental
protections,
eliminating the post of secretary on climate change and stripping the authority
of the environment ministry. Bolsonaro argues that environmental protections in
the Amazon hinder economic development and has promised that “not one more
centimeter” of land would be allocated to indigenous tribes.
As co-creator and director Estela Renner told Drama
Quarterly: “Mining is a huge
environmental issue. We talk about illegal gold mining, which puts so much
mercury into the rivers, everything becomes sick — the rivers, the soil and the
people.”
The show’s focus on sustainability was also reportedly reflected throughout the
production itself. To reduce waste, the series recycled and reused clothing in
90 percent of all of its costumes. Of the crew and leading actors, 47 percent
were women, while a third of the cast were from the region of the Amazon where
the series was filmed.
From July to October, the producers say 50 percent of online sales on aruanas.tv
will be donated to an undisclosed initiative designed to protect the Amazon.
Renner told Drama Quarterly that the goal is to continue to follow the NGO and
its activists in future seasons, as they explore other aspects of and
contributors to climate change — such as the oil industry and the oceans; work
is already progressing on a second season, which will explore a different type
of environmental crime.
Published Aug 7, 2019 8am EDT / 5am PDT / 1pm BST / 2pm CEST
Sustainable Brands Staff