Ironland

(Lavra)
Lucas Bambozzi | Documentary

2021 | 100 minutes | Brazil

A geographer returns to Minas Gerais after a mining disaster, exposing the region’s history of exploitation and the human cost of resource extraction.

Environment + Sustainability Human Rights Criminal Justice Labor Studies Latin American Studies South America Economics + Social Class Issues Geography Sociology
Synopsis

After decades of life in the United States, Brazilian geographer Camila returns to her homeland of Minas Gerais in response to a catastrophic mining-related environmental disaster. The event—a dam collapse that unleashed toxic wastewater from an iron ore mine—obliterated villages and devastated the region. This documentary road movie examines the enduring impact of mining on Minas Gerais, tracing its deep historical and cultural imprints.

Camila’s journey begins on a train bearing the mining company’s name, traversing a landscape dominated by expansive iron ore quarries. Mining’s omnipresence extends even into Brazil’s literary canon, as reflected in the work of Carlos Drummond de Andrade, the renowned poet from this region.

Through poetic voiceovers juxtaposed against stark realities, the film weaves a narrative of resilience and reckoning. As Camila engages with victims and activists in a landscape scarred by industrial exploitation, she uncovers the systemic nature of such disasters.

Reviews

“An outcry against man-made environmental disasters, tracking the long-term effects on the survivors of the biggest dam collapse in Brazil.” – Patricia Boero, The Film Veredict

“What remains of a human culture when it is subjected to a radical process of destruction? There are memories, words, some images, old photos, perhaps a work of art. And, as can be seen, there remains the desire to resist, even if this is a very unequal fight. Beautiful – and sad – movie.” – Luiz Fernando Zanin Oricchio

“There is room for many reflections and feelings in this pearl of a film that, more than tracing the painful and sad map of mining in Brazil, maps lives that were lost, dreams destroyed or, paraphrasing those modernist verses by Manuel Bandeira, “an entire life that could have been, and that was not.” – Gazeta do Estado

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Keywords
Ironland,Lavra,Lucas Bambozzi,documentary,Brasil,Brazil,mining,environmental justice,iron ore,extractivist economy,human & civil rights,activism,memory & identity,territory,rural life,environment,environmental,environmentalism,climate,climate change,global warming,habitat,ecosystem,ecology,eco,earth,planet,water,sustainable,sustainability,deforestation,agriculture,green,green economy,human rights,public rights,equal rights,freedom of expression,basic human rights,united nations,activism,human rights activism,human rights council,human rights commission,universal human rights,universal rights,criminal justice,crime,judiciary,police reform,corrections,criminal law,judicial system,justice department,prosecution,judgement,criminal law,courts and corrections,corrections institutes,labor studies,employment studies,workers rights,workers’ rights,organizing,labor unions,trade unions,unions,industry,employment law,working class,labor rights,labor equity,employment,union organizing,labor organizing,labor rights movements,employment rights movements,workers’ rights movement,workers rights movements,latin american studies,caribbean american studies,island studies,latin american culture,latin american history,latin american politics, caribbean american culture,caribbean american history,caribbean american politics,latin american languages,latin american and caribbean studies,hispanic american studies,hispanic people,hispanic culture,hispanic politics,south america,south american countries,countries in south america,argentina,bolivia,brazil,chile,colombia,ecuador,guyana,paraguay,peru,suriname,uruguay,venezuela,south american politics,south american culture,south american cuisine,south american education,south america in media,south american languages,south america history,economics,social class,money,capital,capitalism,class,economy,prejudice,intersectionality,inequality,poverty,income gap,wage gap,class warfare,elitism,snobbery,bourgeois,poverty,upper class,middle class,lower class,nouveau riche,geography,location,place,country,location,physical place,terrain,spatial awareness,territory,map,place,space,maps,cartography,countries,cities,mountains,territories,states,nations,borders,boundaries,topology,topography,sociology,anthropology,psychology,sociological,sociological perspectives,conflict theory,human conflicts,sociological thinking,conflict perspective,topics in sociology,sociology topics,sociology studies,social studies,people and cultures,human relations,human relationships,cultural studies,culture studies ; "Ironland"; Pragda Films
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Festivals

IDFA International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam; Brasília Festival of Brazilian Cinema - Best Cinematography; Hot Docs; Latin American Competition. Mostra Ecofalante – Latin American Competition Audience Award; The World of Knowledge International Film Festival - Jury’s Special Mention; ATLANTICDOC Film Festival - SIGNIS Award

DIRECTOR: Lucas Bambozzi

NATIONALITY: Brazil

YEAR: 2021

GENRE: Documentary

LANGUAGE: Portuguese

COLOR / B&W: Color

GRADE LEVEL: High School, College, Adult

SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE

AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE

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