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Executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, and produced by Fisher Stevens, the scattered but stirring eco doc “We Are Guardians” assigns itself the unenviable challenge of providing a small — yet broadly comprehensive — window onto one of the greatest environmental crises in the history of our planet: The destruction of the Amazon rainforest. It’s a topic so vast that even a sprawling miniseries would struggle to contain it, and yet directors Edivan Guajajara, Chelsea Greene, and Rob Grobman manage to wrap their arms around the disaster in a little more than 80 minutes; not by simplifying the situation, but rather by contrasting the apocalyptic plainness of the problem with the infinite complexity of solving it.

The facts speak for themselves, tragic as it is that they don’t always listen to each other. One of several people in the film who help to anchor the project as more of a prompt to...

“We Are Guardians,” a documentary presented by executive producer Leonardo DiCaprio and producer Fisher Stevens, has raised over $1 million in rainforest preservation efforts through its charitable campaign ahead of a New York theatrical release Friday.

The project from co-directors Edivan Guajajara, Chelsea Greene and Rob Grobman is touring nationally in theaters through September and spotlights efforts by Indigenous leaders to protect the Brazilian Amazon amid invasion and deforestation.

“This is one of the most effective and successful documentary impact campaigns I have been involved with over my career,” Oscar-winning documentarian Stevens (“The Lincoln Project”) said in a statement. “Our team has hit and now surpassed all of our initial goals for the film, and we are only getting started.”

The documentary specifically focuses on the Indigenous people of Tembé and Guajajara in Brazil. As illegal loggers and invaders propagate deforestation on their land, individuals within these communities act as “Guardians...

The Brazilian Amazon serves as both sanctuary and battleground in “We Are Guardians,” a documentary that transforms environmental advocacy into a deeply personal exploration of cultural survival. Directors Edivan Guajajara, Chelsea Greene, and Rob Grobman have crafted a film that transcends typical eco-documentaries by embedding Indigenous perspectives at its core rather than treating them as exotic subjects.

With Leonardo DiCaprio’s production backing, this 2019-2022 chronicle captures the Bolsonaro era’s particularly aggressive assault on Indigenous territories, yet the film’s power lies in its refusal to present simple narratives of good versus evil. The documentary positions Indigenous communities not as noble savages fighting modernity, but as sophisticated political actors whose traditional ecological knowledge offers practical solutions to global climate collapse.

This framing challenges Western audiences to reconsider their assumptions about progress and development, while simultaneously making the Amazon crisis accessible through intimate human stories rather than abstract statistics. The film’s trilingual approach—Portuguese,...

Exclusive:Zdf Studios-owned Off the Fence, the company behind Oscar winner My Octopus Teacher, has confirmed the UK and Germany release date on Prime Video of its Amazon rainforest documentary We Are Guardians.

The film will debut on the platform in both countries on June 20, two weeks after Area 23a opened the film theatrically in Los Angeles as part of a 50-city summer theatrical screening tour. As previously announced, Netflix acquired rights for Latin America.

We Are Guardians premiered at Hot Docs in 2023 followed by select festival appearances including Raindance, Rio, and the Mostra São Paulo International Film Festival,...

Exclusive:Zdf Studios-owned Off the Fence, the company behind Oscar winner My Octopus Teacher, has signed deals with Prime Video to release its Amazon rainforest documentary We Are Guardians in the UK and Germany.

Prime Video will debut the film on its platform in both countries on June 20, two weeks after Area 23a opened the film theatrically in Los Angeles as part of a 50-city summer theatrical screening tour. As previously announced, Netflix acquired rights for Latin America.

We Are Guardians premiered at Hot Docs in 2023 followed by select festival appearances including Raindance, Rio, and the Mostra São Paulo International Film Festival,...

In 2019, Edivan Guajajara, Chelsea Greene, and Rob Grobman began filming “We Are Guardians,” a documentary about Indigenous forest guardians fighting to protect their ancestral lands from relentless invasions and deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest.

The directors followed various forest guardians of Brazil as they fought to protect the Amazon rainforest from destruction.

“Through the smoke and confusion of the media coming from Brazil and the international community, we decided to mobilize and uncover the truth,” Greene and Grobman said in a joint statement.”We wanted to hear from those closest to the forest, and the fires, what was happening, from their perspective.”

After a year, Guajajara, Greene, and Grobman showed producers Zak Kilberg, Maura Anderson, and Fisher Stevens a reel of what they had captured in the Amazon. The producers, who at the time were forming their production company Highly Flammable, were immediately intrigued and decided to make “We Are Guardians...

Chelsea Green is one of the WWE’s shining lights. She is hilarious and one of the most entertaining acts in the women’s division. Green never wastes her screen time and always does something that captures your attention. Many have considered her to be ‘the Miz’ of the women’s division, but some have disagreed with that notion.

The light, though, has been dimmed out. After losing the United States title, she acted despondent and depressed about the result. The title was her baby. She was the ‘real president’ of the United States with her own Secret Service. In a recent social media post, she said goodbye for now to WWE, sharing a farewell address following a big loss in her most recent match.

Chelsea Green’s loss leads to national mourning

The April 25 SmackDown episode saw Chelsea Green face Zelina Vega with the WWE Women’s US Championship on the line.

UK Indie Taking Korean Format ‘Battle In The Box’ To U.S.

Interstellar, the UK indie that made the British version of Something Special’s format Battle in the Box in the UK, is to take the Korean format into the U.S. The format, initially from Nmedia for Mbn in Korea, sees two celebrity teams enter an empty box for 24 hours divided by a moveable wall and armed with just a toothbrush. They earn space and luxuries by conquering mental and physical challenges. Interstellar made the UK version of the show for BBC Studios-owned network U&Dave, with comedian Jimmy Carr the host. The company will now take the format to the U.S. after striking a deal with Something Special, which has the international distribution rights. “We cannot wait to take everything we’ve learned about this groundbreaking reality and gameshow format and apply it to a...

Zdf Studios’ Off the Fence, the company behind Oscar-winning doc My Octopus Teacher, has acquired worldwide rights excluding North America and Latin America to rainforest documentary We Are Guardians.

We Are Guardians is executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way Productions and produced by Highly Flammable, co-founded last year by Oscar winner Fisher Stevens whose credits include Beckham, The Cove and Tiger King.

The documentary centres on Indigenous forest guardians in the Amazon Rainforest fighting to protect their ancestral lands from invasions and deforestation.

It is the feature debut of directors Edivan Guajajara, co-founder of Mídia Indígena, the leading...

The Bentonville Film Foundation, in collaboration with founding partner Walmart and presenting sponsor Coca-Cola, have announced the winners of their narrative, documentary, short film and episodic categories from this year’s competition program.

The festival, which ran from June 10-16 in Bentonville, Ark., aims to amplify female, non-binary, Lgbtqia+, Bipoc and people with disabilities’ voices in entertainment.

“Suze” from Linsey Stewart and Dane Clark won the award for best narrative feature, and “Daughters,” directed by Natalie Rae and Angela Patton, took home the prize for best documentary feature.

Additionally, The See It, Be It Award, was presented to Phoebe-Rae Taylor, star of “Out of My Mind.” This award, which has been presented every year since the beginning of the festival, is given to someone who has opened doors for people like them through their work and influenced the entertainment industry and pop culture through the creation of content that empowers stories that are otherwise underrepresented.

The Bentonville Film Festival, this year celebrating its tenth anniversary, has announced its award winners to close out its latest edition. In collaboration with its founding partner, Walmart, and presenting sponsor, Coca-Cola, the fest’s winners include films and episodic offerings in narrative, documentary, short film, and episodic categories. The annual festival is a globally recognized platform amplifying female, non-binary, Lgbtqia+, Bipoc, and people with disabilities’ voices in entertainment.

The festival’s top two awards went to Linsey Stewart and Dane Clark’s “Suze” (Best Narrative Feature) and Natalie Rae and Angela Patton’s “Daughters” (Best Documentary Award), with the festival’s See It, Be It Award going to Phoebe-Rae Taylor, the star of festival opener “Out of My Mind.” This award, which has been presented every year since the beginning of the festival is, per the festival, “given to someone who has opened doors for people like them through...

Los Angeles, Nov 17 (Ians) Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio’s film ‘We Are Guardians’ based on the Amazon rainforest is set to make its India premiere at the All Living Things Environmental Film Festival (Alt Eff), 2023.

‘We Are Guardians’, directed by Chelsea Greene, Rob Groman, and Edivan Guajajara, follows Indigenous forest guardian Marçal Guajajara and activist Puyr Tembe as they valiantly battle against deforestation, illegal logging activities, and the encroachment of their territories by extractive industries.

Speaking of this, the directors of ‘We Are Guardians’, said, “The state of the Amazon and the situation for Indigenous peoples in Brazil is extremely urgent. Truly it’s a matter that concerns the whole world. It’s incredible to have Leonardo DiCaprio join our team.”

“He has been a huge advocate for environmental and human rights issues throughout his life and an inspiration in the way he uses his worldwide platform to speak out about what’s happening.

Los Angeles, Nov 17 (Ians) Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio’s film ‘We Are Guardians’ based on the Amazon rainforest is set to make its India premiere at the All Living Things Environmental Film Festival (Alt Eff), 2023.

‘We Are Guardians’, directed by Chelsea Greene, Rob Groman, and Edivan Guajajara, follows Indigenous forest guardian Marçal Guajajara and activist Puyr Tembe as they valiantly battle against deforestation, illegal logging activities, and the encroachment of their territories by extractive industries.

Speaking of this, the directors of ‘We Are Guardians’, said, “The state of the Amazon and the situation for Indigenous peoples in Brazil is extremely urgent. Truly it’s a matter that concerns the whole world. It’s incredible to have Leonardo DiCaprio join our team.”

“He has been a huge advocate for environmental and human rights issues throughout his life and an inspiration in the way he uses his worldwide platform to speak out about what’s happening.

Bangladeshi filmmaker Nuhash Humayun’s “Pett Kata Shaw” won best international feature at the 31st Raindance Film Festival’s jury awards. British documentary filmmaker Kit Vincent won best U.K. feature for his debut feature “Red Herring.”

Some 75% of this year’s features are debuts and debut features swept the board at the jury awards with all eight award-winning films being debuts.

Michael Pitt won best performance for British actor Jack Huston‘s directorial debut “Day of the Fight.” Fisnik Maxville was named best director for his debut feature “The Land Within,” which previously won awards at Tallinn Black Nights, Galway Film Fleadh and PriFest. Catalan directors Alejandro Rojas and Sebastián Vasquez won the discovery award for their debut feature “Upon Entry.”

Chelsea Greene, Rob Grobman and Edivan Guajajara’s “We Are Guardians” won best documentary while David Wyte won best cinematography for “All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White.

“A Batalha da Rua Maria Antonia,” directed by Vera Egito, nabbed the main Redentor prize for fiction film at the 2023 Rio de Janeiro International Film Fest which wrapped this year’s edition last weekend, consolidating its position as South America’s largest fest and world’s main showcase of Brazilian productions.

The fest held the world premieres of 40 Brazilian features and four TV series. Its competition, reflecting the country’s production strength, included 54 local features, selected from 318 submissions.

With a series of 21 long takes shot in 16 mm black and white film, “A Batalha da Rua Maria Antonia” (“The Battle”) depicts the true-life 1968 police massacre of Sao Paulo State University Philosophy School’s students who rose up in opposition to the military dictatorship then in place in Brazil.

Carolina Markowicz’s “Toll” scooped both best actress, for Maeve Jinkings, shared with Grace Passo of “O Dia que te conheci,” and actor...

“Seven Winters in Tehran,” about a 19-year-old Iranian woman sentenced to death for killing the man who tried to rape her, will open the 34th annual Human Rights Watch Film Festival on May 31 in New York City.

The festival, co-presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the IFC Center, will feature 10 documentaries about humanitarian challenges around the world. This year’s edition spotlights themes and topics including the Ukraine conflict (“When Spring Came to Bucha”), climate gentrification and justice (“Razing Liberty Square”), women’s rights (“Draw Me Egypt”) transgender rights (“Into My Name”) freedom of the press (“The Etilaat Roz”) and access to health care in the United States (“Pay or Die”).

“From the war in Ukraine to women’s rights and bodily autonomy, to environmental gentrification and freedom of the press, these films span some of the most pressing human rights issues of our time,” says John Biaggi,...