In 1910, the British Consul General in Rio de Janeiro, Roger Casement, undertook an investigation into allegations of crimes against Indigenous communities committed by the British-registered Peruvian Amazon Company. Narrated from his journals, Secrets from Putomayo recounts the horrific treatment he uncovered there: an industrial-extractive system based on killings and slave labour in the midst of the Amazon jungle, "a real green hell." Shocked by his discoveries, and despite a heavy personal toll, Casement was determined to bring awareness to the British of their own colonial atrocities by revealing the appalling human cost of the rubber industry. Blending unflinching passages from his journal (powerfully narrated by Stephen Rea) with unforgettable archival images, the film makes space for the Indigenous relatives of the survivors to share the oral stories passed down by the family members, who also recount current struggles for self-determination against today's multinational corporations, just as fixated on extracting the resources of the Amazon. Casement's pursuit of justice continued when he returned to Britain, just as the fight to preserve their land continues today for the Indigenous peoples of the Amazon. Darlene Naponse
Co-presented with Brazil Film Festival Toronto
World Showcase program sponsored by
