Tribes on the Edge Film Screening and live Q&A with Director Céline Cousteau

8:00 -10:00 PM

About this Event

Join us for one night only as world renowned explorer Celine Cousteau screens her newly released documentary, Tribes on the Edge. After the screening, Celine will be present for a live Q&A with the audience to discuss the film’s creation, her experiences with the indigenous peoples of the Javari, and what can be done to protect the Amazon and the last guardians of the rainforest. All proceeds from the evening go towards the protection of the Javari.

Where: Vic Theatre 808 Douglas St, Victoria, BC V8W 2B6, Canada

When: Thursday, August 29th, 2019; doors open at 7:30pm, film begins at 8:00pm

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/322789465

Film Synopsis:

Tribes on the Edge takes us deep into the Vale do Javari - one of the largest indigenous territories in Brazil and home to thousands of indigenous peoples, at least 2,000 of which remain un-contacted. Considered by many to be “the last guardians of the rainforest”, the film explores one intimate tribal community and the wider ecosystems of the Javari under threat from deforestation, illegal mining, and epidemic health crises brought on by contact with the outside world.

Directed and hosted by third generation explorer and filmmaker, Celine Cousteau, Tribes on the Edge provides a uniquely personal glimpse into one of the most endangered peoples and places on earth. At age nine, Celine first sailed to the Amazon aboard the Calypso with her late grandfather and former ocean explorer, Jacques Cousteau. Together they navigated its largely then unknown coastlines and waterways and encountered a number of indigenous communities, many of whom had little to no contact with the outside world. Decades later, with deforestation of the Amazon threatening 20% of our global oxygen supply, human rights violations against indigenous peoples skyrocketing, and murders of journalists in Brazil hitting double digits, Celine returned to see where the indigenous friends of her childhood were now. What she found was a community on the brink of extinction, and a tribe pleading with her to share their fight for survival with the outside world. Celine has honoured their request through the powerful medium of film.

With the rainforest being cut down at a rate of three football fields per minute, not only does this documentary explore the land threats, health crises, and human rights issues facing the indigenous peoples of the Vale do Javari, it powerfully expands the view of how this is relevant to us all. Tribes on the Edge suggests the universal story of our human tribe and how our future is interwoven with each other and with nature. It is a story about the critical importance of respecting and caring for land, culture, and humanity. Our survival may depend on it.

Campaign

Coming from a long line of activists and explorers committed to preserving the earth, Celine intimately understands the importance of not only raising awareness, but also of empowering action. This is why she has paired her film with an impact campaign designed to provide tangible solutions to the problems in the Javari today. This campaign involves three key facets: Action, Communication and Education. If you want join Celine in protecting the Javari and its people, we warmly invite you to donate to the campaign. Thanks!

Organisers would also like to extend their heartfelt thanks to Capitol 6 Cinema for donating their theatre for this screening. Thanks to this generous donation, all proceeds from ticket sales will go towards the impact campaign.

About Celine:

As the granddaughter of legendary ocean explorer, Jacque Cousteau, Céline is the third generation of Cousteau explorers and a lifelong activist and filmmaker. She spent much of her youth aboard her grandfather's world-famous research vessel the Calypso, plying the seas in search of answers to the oceans' greatest mysteries. One of her first major expeditions was at age nine when she and her father and grandfather journeyed to the Amazon. There they spent 18 months navigating its coastal and jungle waters in areas that were still largely unknown to the outside world. This exploration also involved encounters with remote and un-contacted tribes, considered by many to be the last remaining guardians of the rainforest. It was through this experience that Céline began to learn about the interconnectedness of not only the environment, but humanity. As a result, she has spent her life dedicated to understanding the human "tribe" and the relationships forged between individuals, communities and ecosystems.

She continues to share her findings through a variety of film productions, artworks, ambassadorships, public speaking and activism, and through the Céline Cousteau Film Fellowship - a film fellowship program that equips young filmmakers, creatives, and activists to motivate change through storytelling. Celine also sits on a number of boards and advisory groups, and has been a trusted voice on environmental and indigenous rights at the World Economic Forum and the UN.