Third episode of “Geografia da Ausência” (Geography of Absence), my new HBO doc-series, traveled to Rondônia, a Brazilian state inside Amazon’s rainforest domains. Following the foosteps of photographer Marcela Bonfim, our film crew could experience the terrible drought in the region, leaving the mighty Maderia River like a sand desert. There is also serious economic consequences for communities alongside the river, which we were able to see and film.
Black communities on the region are many, most of them formed during the rubber cycle, during the late 19th century and first half of the 20th century. Besides remnants of slaves brought to the region from different parts of Brazil, there are also caribbean communities, formed from Barbados, Granada and other British colonies on the region. Today, they form a very solid cultural landscape, mixing different traditions and adding their own flavour to the mix.
“Geografia da Ausência” is produced by RedTerra Studios, with Producer & Artistic Director Gideon Boulting, Director of Photography Dado Carlin, Sound Miquéia Motta, Editing Tom Laterza and Original Music Maestro&Simon. Now we jump to the next phase, editing the episodes.
