Birdwatchers (2008)
"BirdWatchers - La terra degli uomini rossi" (original title)

When a tribe of indigenous Guarani Indians attempts to re-inhabit their ancestral land, which lies on the border of a wealthy landowner's fields, tensions escalate.

Director:

Marco Bechis

Writers:

Marco Bechis, Luiz Bolognesi,

Stars:

Claudio Santamaria, Alicélia Batista Cabreira, Chiara Caselli

2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Claudio Santamaria	...	Roberto
Alicélia Batista Cabreira	...	Lia
Chiara Caselli	...	Beatrice
Pedro Abrísio da Silva	...	Osvaldo
Matheus Nachtergaele	...	Dimas
Ambrósio Vilhava	...	Nádio
Ademilson Concianza Verga	...	Irineu
Leonardo Medeiros	...	Moreira - the farmer
Eliane Juca da Silva	...	Mami
Fabiane Pereira da Silva	...	Maria
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Taiane Arce	...	Kinha
César Chedid	...	Farmer
Temily Comar	...	Maria's friend
Nelson Concianza	...	Nhanderu
Luciane da Silva	...	Rosália

Storyline

A boat with tourists is sailing up the river through the jungle. Suddenly they come face-to-face with Indians, naked apart from their paint, with self-made weapons at the ready. The tourists sail on excitedly. The Indians put on their jeans and collect their daily wages. The Guarani, one of Brazil's oldest Indian communities, are forced to live in a reservation. A small group of Guarani decide to leave the reservation and settle in a traditional territory that has belonged to white men for several generations. The clash between two conflicting cultures is conceived as a suspense story with mystical elements. The actors are real Indians with no actor training.

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Plot Keywords:

indians | reservation | brazil | culture clash | suicide | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Classic [Italy] Océan Films [France]

Country:

Italy Brazil

Language:

Portuguese Guarani English

Release Date:

28 November 2008 (Brazil)

Also Known As:

Birdwatchers

Filming Locations:

Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Company Credits

Production Co:

Classic, Rai Cinema, Karta Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

[last lines]
Osvaldo: I won, you lost!

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Soundtracks

"O gloriosa virginum"
Composed by Domenico Zipoli
Performed by Coro de niños cantores de Córdoba, Affetti Musicali (Buenos Aires) and Ensemble Elyma
Conducted by Gabriel Garrido
Published by K617

User Reviews

Excellent film

BIRDWATCHERS is an extremely strong narrative drama about the struggle of native Brazilian Indians against globalization. Fantastic cinematography, soundtrack, and performances. The dialogue can be sparse at times, but that is appropriate for the characters. A very engaging and interesting film that every true cineast should see. Not for people who are looking for mainstream Hollywood fare. Truly one of the stronger narrative dramas to come out in the last 3-4 years. This film should have a good run at arthouses and then on DVD. If you haven't seen it at festivals, you should definitely try to catch it when it goes into theaters.