Revisiting a famed expedition to the Amazon, this discerning documentary considers how Western journalism has historically projected and reinforced colonial and capitalist views on other cultures.
The film ultimately questions how those narratives are constructed and who they serve.
Amazomania
| Aug 23 |
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In 1996, a Brazilian civil servant and a Swedish journalist ventured deep into the Amazon jungle to document the isolated Korubo tribe. Initiated by escalating land conflicts and the allure of making contact, the successful expedition was internationally renowned for providing a rare glimpse into another way of life. Nearly three decades later, Nathan Grossman (I Am Greta) revisits the footage and finds it raises more questions today than it originally assumed to answer.
In 2023, we accompany Erling Söderström on a trip back to the Amazon, which doesn't quite go according to plan. An acute misunderstanding between the original expeditioners and the Korubo community is revealed as the tribe insists on telling their side of the story.
Amazomania examines the sensationalism and exoticisation inherent in documentaries that pander to a colonial legacy. Grossman examines the ethics and ramifications of such "discoveries" by considering the effect contact with the outside world has had on the Korubo. He invites the audience to join the adventure and then to look at the content critically in a film that acknowledges journalistic reparations and whether they are too little, too late. - Madison Marshall