The Melbourne Documentary Film Festival 2018 - Timbó
Construction of dams by energy companies in the Brazilian Amazon would destroy the heart of the world's largest rainforest, and severely affect the community of the indigenous people in the area. If built, the dams would flood an area the size of London, Paris and Amsterdam combined. The flood would also cause a large amount of toxic plants to dissolve in the water, leading to severe poisoning or even death among the local tribes. These plants are commonly known as Timbó.
Interview with Director Peiman Zekavat
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I came across this film completely by accident. Back in 2016 I filmed and directed a 6-episode documentary series about the effect of Transamazonica highway on the Amazon rainforest. During the filming of that project, I came across many environmental and social injustice issues in the Amazon, which I never knew about or which had crossed my mind in any way. One of these issues was the dam building by Brazilian and international energy companies on the Amazon river and its impact on the indigenous communities.
At the time the Brazilian government was about to build another dam on Tapajós river, which would completely wipe out the indigenous land called Munduruku. When we listened to their stories, I immediately knew I had to make a film or a short video about this to spread the word. I then decided to follow the Munduruku for 3 days to document their story, their way of life and above all what they are fighting for. The result of this was Timbó.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
It all comes down to raising awareness. Documentaries are powerful cultural tools that could lead to change or at the very least, raise the level of contemporary consciousness. The Amazon is a home to more plants and animals than any other place on earth. At the same time, more than 400 indigenous tribes inhabit the Amazon, and their traditional and cultural beliefs have existed for centuries. Unfortunately, there are major issues threatening the lungs of our planet, and we only came across one of them while making this film.
With this film I simply wanted to spread the word of this issue, not knowing that I’m actually joining a rising storm of protests and resistance movements from environmentalists, NGOs and indigenous groups against the environmental impact of large dams in the rainforest.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The rivers of the Amazon carry more than 20% of the earth’s water to sea and are homes to 3000 types of fish and unique species. Indigenous and local people also use these rivers for transportation and fishing, which is their main source of protein. Recently completed dams on these rivers have done major environmental harm to the rainforest and people who live there. The harm wouldn’t stop there and it all comes back to us as individuals, as consumers.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
We had no script, as from the beginning we didn’t know what to expect and we certainly didn’t know how much access we could get from the Munduruku tribe. But they accepted us with open arms, told us their stories and gave us a freedom we couldn’t even dream of. During our stay we came across many different stories and individuals, but after two days we picked a subject and tried to cover it as best as we could. After the shoot we knew how the final structure would look like but the project really was shaped in post-production, and most notably the sound design completely gave the film a new direction.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
We finished the post-production in October 2017 and by November the film premiered at the Barcelona Human Rights Film Festival, followed by the Madrid Human Rights Film Festival. So far after 8 months into its festival circuit, Timbó has been selected for more than 32 international human rights, environmental and social issue film festivals, and has won 7 awards, including 'Best Documentary’, 'Best Director' and 'Best Cinematography'.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Indeed it was very surprising, I wasn’t expecting much from making this film and thought it would just end up on Vimeo, but yes, I'm overwhelmed by the response. After one of the screenings in Brazil, someone came to me and said she believes the film is too short and needs to be longer. We certainly have enough footage to make it longer but I believe a short documentary should be short and straight to the point, but for sure we only scratched the surface regarding this issue.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
If there is a platform about moving stories then we want to be part of it, because if a story isn’t moving, then it isn't a story. I think a platform like WAMS can help spread the message, day by day we are more active online and on social media, therefore an online platform such as WAMS can help highlight similar issues and eventually bring about some change.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We would like journalists or bloggers to write about - not necessarily our film - but the issue this film is looking to highlight. We like to bring back attention to environmental destruction and cultural dissolution in the Amazon, the topics that often get ignored in the mainstream media.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
What is currently happening in the Amazon is an important global issue, not an issue faced only by the local tribes and indigenous people, it’s an issue that affects the rest of the planet, basically all of us!
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Why should I care? It’s the first question that might come to people’s minds. The Amazon is now at a tipping point due to dam building and deforestation, and what the Amazon gives to the world could one day be gone, and that’s why we all should care. We as consumers can have a say in this by choosing what we buy or are buying from sortable sources, there are plenty of products we use in our daily use which come from the rainforest, from the shampoo we use to the jewellery we buy and beef we eat. Our purchase is our vote.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I’m currently working on a project based on the issue of child abuse in the UK.
Interview: July 2018
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Timbó
Construction of dams by energy companies in the Brazilian Amazon would destroy the heart of the world's largest rainforest, and severely affect the community of the indigenous people in the area. If built, the dams would flood an area the size of London, Paris and Amsterdam combined. The flood would also cause a large amount of toxic plants to dissolve in the water, leading to severe poisoning or even death among the local tribes. These plants are commonly known as Timbó.
Length: 9 minuets
Director: Peiman Zekavat
Producer: Savio Martins
About the writer, director and producer:
PEIMAN ZEKAVAT is a London-based filmmaker and photographer, with experience across a variety of film and TV genres. Both his fictional films and observational documentaries focus on social and humanitarian issues, and in 2016 he filmed and directed a six episode documentary series about the environmental destruction of the Amazon rainforest. His passion for street photography won him the ‘Photographer of the Year’ awards and he received recognition for his cinematography. His latest fictional short film about online bullying among teenagers in South America selected for Oscar qualified film festivals.
Key cast: Valdemar Saw Munduruku
Looking for: sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists
Instagram: @peiman.zekavat
Official website: www.timbofilm.uk
Made in association with: Fifth Season
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?
Melbourne Documentary Film Festival in July and Respect Belfast Human Rights Film Festival in August.