Samsung Galaxy’s guardians of the world

Created by Ogilvy and directed by Adu Lalouschek through Scenester, the film is part of Samsung Galaxy's series featuring people on the fringes of the modern world who are tackling vital issues.

The three-minute documentary addresses the threats facing an indigenous community living deep inside the Amazon rainforest, particularly focussing on the story of Uruma Kambeba – chief of the Tururukari-Uka tribe – and his 12-year-old daughter Taíssa, as they use mobile tech to record and disseminate acts of deforestation.

At risk not only from the loss of the forest, which destroys their way of life, indigenous people also face violence and intimidation from criminal networks involved in illegal logging and land clearing. The film sensitively depicts how Uruma and Taíssa feel about the spirit of the Amazon and their right to protect the rainforest, not only for indigenous communities but for the planet’s ecological health. 

If deforestation continues at this rate, 40 per cent of the rainforest will be lost by 2050. 

The Amazon is home to 47 million people and has long been seen as a 'carbon sink', storing 200 billion tons of carbon dioxide in its forest and soils. But last year scientists announced fears that it is now emitting more carbon than it can absorb thanks to forest fires, many of which are set deliberately to clear the land for beef and soy production.