Synopsis

An old Yanomami belief says that if the shamans stop dancing, the sky will fall down and crush everything. When Brazilian president Bolsonaro announces that industries can settle in the Amazon, Yanomami territory, Davi Kopenawa and his son Dario expand their battle to an international level to defend their land against the invaders.

Advice of Millenium : 

Holding up the sky is a rare and powerful film. Behind the beautiful images of the Amazon rainforest and the traditional rituals of indigenous peoples, it also shows the invisible and brutal reality of deforestation and environmental destruction. Indigenous peoples face constant threats to their existence, whether through modernisation, industrialisation or deforestation. Extractive industries, such as mining and oil extraction, and development projects, such as the construction of hydroelectric dams, are destroying forests, fauna and flora, and disrupting the lifestyles and traditions of indigenous communities. The director continues to reflect on the evolution of man’s relationship with nature, and the indigenous people seem to be single-handedly bearing the brunt of a struggle that concerns us all. The film shares with us a story of ordinary people fighting for their identity, their culture, their freedom, and inevitably refers us to all those struggles that the West has sacrificed on the altar of profit and modernisation. As such, the film is a real lesson in hope and revolt for all those who care about the protection of the environment and the rights of indigenous peoples.