Wednesday night saw the New Zealand premiere of The Territory, a documentary which wowed at the Sundance Film Festival in January.
The Territory details the fight of the Uru-eu-wau-wau people against the threat of deforestation by farmers and illegal settlers in their home, the Amazon Rainforest.
The film was shot over a period of three years, largely by the Uru-eu-wau-wau themselves, as they worked to set up their own news media.
Instead of opting for a traditional red carpet, the film premiered at Ōrākei Marae at Tāmaki Makaurau's Bastion Point.
Producers on the film Gabriel Uchida and Txai Suruí attended the screening, coming directly from Auckland Airport after flight delays forced them to miss most of their time in the city.
Academy Award nominated producer Chelsea Winstanley's company Ahi Films is responsible for the film's New Zealand distribution, she spoke on the film's importance to Aotearoa.
"This is modern day colonisation in action and when we think about our own history in Aotearoa these themes are so relatable to us because we've had them in our history," she said.
The film is now playing in select New Zealand cinemas for very limited screenings. Details on showings can be found at theterritoryanz.com.
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