Ruivaldo, O Homem que Salvou a Terra (2019)

• 72%
• 2019
• Documentary
• João Farkas
• Jorge Bodanzky

In Brazil, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, in the Taquari River region, the increasing and continuous siltation of the rivers has led to overflowing of waters and flooding of land over the years, causing significant changes in the lives of its inhabitants. This has made it impossible to cultivate the soil and raise livestock, a means of livelihood for local families. A member of one of these families, Ruivaldo Nery Andrade, our guide character, struggles to save his farm by building a manual dike system to contain and alter the course of the invading waters and thus resume his activities and ensure the survival of the earth. With local interviews and conducted by photographer João Farkas, who has been photographing the Pantanal for six years, we show the richness of the region and also how Ruivaldo's life trajectory and that of other characters was affected by the environmental tragedy that struck there and the strive to reverse it by resorting to ingenious and creative solutions.