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“Corumbiara, our land” (2015)
'Corumbiara, our land', shows the struggle of three peasant families in the Brazilian Amazon to maintain a piece of land that reminds them their worst memories. Is it possible to construct a future in a land marked by a massacre? -- video excerpt --
On 9th August 1995, a massacre took place in Corumbiara, Brazil. Men were executed, women were used as human shields before been killed too. Police officers and gunmen had arrived at this rural setting to torture people and destroy their settlement. Twenty days before this, hundreds of these peasants had occupied a small part of the Santa Elina estate claiming access to land. After 20 years of restless struggle, the Corumbiara's survivors finally own this land, yet the horrible memories of the past remain. This new phase opens new opportunities for these peasants who now have the challenge of building a new life for their families. Brazil has one of the biggest territories on the planet. Its land, however, is heavily concentrated. According to official figures, 3% of the country's landowners own 57% of cultivable land. In a country marked by such inequality in terms of land access, violence and conflicts are common. Data from the Comissão Pastoral da Terra (CPT) reveal that in 2012 alone there were more than 5000 conflicts caused by land disputes. Particularly, the state of Rondonia, where Corumbiara is located, registered a record number of violent cases against local people. Today very little is said about the Corumbiara's massacre. In addition, the subsequent struggle of these people is virtually unknown. This documentary reveals their story, which is the struggle of the common peasant in Brazil. It also speaks about the victories and the dreams that people in the depths of the country still have to conquer. 'Corumbiara, our land', is a forty-minute documentary about the lives of Eliana, Luciana and Chico’s families. Sparked by the Corumbiara's massacre in 1995, the film will portray how these families have been building a community in a constant struggle over land and daily needs. For more than 15 years, these people fought to get ownership and land titles finally arrived in 2010, but many other challenges remain. Not least the ghosts of the massacre. Memory, land reform and exclusion, the film will show families’ strategies and dilemmas facing these issues. |
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