Brave New Land

Brazil, Mato Grosso do Sul, 1778. At Fort Coimbra in Corumba, a peace treaty sparks tensions between Europeans and the Kuikuro tribes of the Gran Chaco. Some Europeans accept the agreement, others oppose it, continuing to terrorize and exploit. After a group of soldiers rapes and kills ten Kuikuro girls (from the Mbaya tribe) bathing in the river, young warriors prepare revenge. The Portuguese also capture a girl, Anota, and a boy, possibly the son of a Kuikuro woman and a white missionary. The film depicts a dramatic mourning ritual and careful planning to punish the guilty, while highlighting fascinating aspects of Kuikuro culture. Mbaya roles were played by Kadiweu community members, Kuikuro descendants now numbering around a thousand, the only community to survive Christianization terror.