Of the Tree, the River and the People's Cry

1980 • Directed by

Patrice Chagnard

Documentary

The last part of the triptych is dedicated to the struggle of the peasant communities of northeastern Brazil; on the banks of the São Francisco River, the indigenous residents of the village of Caiçara fight to keep their Island of São Pedro, enclosed in a farm; all that remains is an abandoned chapel to which they go in procession. Tyrannized by their powerful neighbors, they talk about their lawsuits and sing about their two-century struggle, filmed in the village, during a procession to San Pedro and an expedition to the court where a delegation will file a complaint.