For young Bitaté Uru Eu Wau Wau, the distant chattering of a buzzsaw sends an ominous signal. It’s the sound of his people’s land in the Brazilian rainforest being chewed up by illegal invaders.
The Oscar-shortlisted documentary The Territory, directed by Alex Pritz, shows how Bitaté and members of his Indigenous tribe, the Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau, are attempting to fend off loggers, miners and squatters devouring huge tracts of the Amazon.
Among their only means of defense is media attention to their plight. Without it, their territory will continue to disappear.
Bitaté spoke with us through an interpreter from an Uru village in Brazil’s state of Rondônia. DEADLINE: What has it been like for you to be the protagonist of an Oscar-contending documentary that’s been seen around the world? BITATÉ URU WAU WAU: I feel honored.
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