Territory, The: Alex Pritz’s Debut Documentary of Indigenous People in Brazil (Sundance 2022)

Focusing on “an island of rainforest surrounded by farms,” The Territory is a first feature for cinematographer Alex Pritz.

Its producers include director Darren Aronofsky, and its subjects, the Indigenous Uru-eu-wau-wau people of Brazil, helped make the film.

The title refers to a region in the Brazilian state of Rondônia, sovereign land of the Uru-eu-wau-wau and other Indigenous groups.

They have lived there for generations, but it wasn’t until 1981 that they experienced their first contact with the outside world. It was not a pleasant experience, as business, farming, logging and ranching interests encroached upon their home.

Led by a vibrant young man, the Uru-eu-wau-wau became partners in Pritz’s filmmaking process, shooting portions of the docu, an approach that became a necessity in the first months of the coronavirus pandemic.