Chico Mendes: Voice of the Amazon (1989)

This documentary investigates the battle between those who would preserve the unique ecosystem of the Amazon rain forest and those who would exploit it. The story is told through the life and ideas of Chico Mendes, a brave and persistent rubber tapper who challenged the people and institutions responsible for the devastation of the forest. Mendes galvanized local and international support for his vision of a self-sustaining economy of the Amazon, but he enraged powerful enemies. Through the use of interviews with rubber tappers, politicians, scientists, police and cattle ranchers, VOICE OF THE AMAZON explores the complicated issues of rain forest development and witnesses the bitter struggle that cost Chico his life in December of 1988. At the core of the film is Chico himself in one of his last interviews, fighting for the people of the forest and a way of life, sadly aware of his approaching death at the hands of an assassin.