For years, the women-led Daje Kapap Eypi Audiovisual Collective has used cell phone cameras to monitor illegal loggers’ encroachment into their 178,000 hectares of territory. Their work is a form of digital guardianship, using film to mobilize international awareness, challenge illegal deforestation, and assert their rights to their ancestral land. As one leader, Aldira Akai Munduruku, shared with us, “The arrow of this journey is our camera.”

Three years ago, just before we went to shoot our film Katô, we partnered with this group of young activists to amplify their vital work. We provided an equipment upgrade and a week-long advanced production course with a Brazilian documentary filmmaker. This partnership has borne powerful fruit: the collective has now completed their first feature-length documentary, Mundurukuyü: The Forest of the Fish Women.

Follow the collective on Instagram and YouTube.

The Next Chapter: Arming a Network of Defenders

Inspired by their success, our next phase is to deepen this alliance. We will provide advanced professional equipment and training to empower these proven filmmakers to become teachers and mentors. Our goal is to support them in passing the camera—the new arrow—to other Indigenous communities, creating a network of forest defenders armed with storytelling skills.

This continued partnership will also enable the collective to:

• Produce more ambitious film projects.
• Formalize a mentorship program to invite and train young Munduruku women.
• Solidify their role as leading Indigenous communicators in the Amazon.

By investing directly in the Daje Kapap Eypi collective, we are fostering a self-determined model of cultural preservation, community empowerment, and environmental advocacy where Indigenous women lead the way.