Hermanno Penna's documentary "Aos Ventos do Futuro" deals with the Brazilian Indian communities meeting congressman and political
leaders while trying to establish new protective laws for their cause as the natives representatives of the federal government failed to help
them fight against exploitation of their lands neither protect them from assassinations led by land owners and gunmen. In the early 1980's
native leader Mário Juruna became the first Indian to be elected congressman and was highly praised for his efforts and fight against corruption - he recorded a tape that revealed that a businessman was trying to bribe him in order to support a candidate favorite of his.
Not sure why the film took three years to get released - the meetings took place around 1983 and 1985, in between that period Tancredo Neves
was running his presidential campaign and he appears briefly in the film, and the key issue of such election was that a new Constitution was to
be written (it'd came in 1988 after Neves death and his vice-president got the fame for it). They key topics addressed relate to the assassination
of a native leader; the demands from the Indians; and the many denounces against FUNAI, the foundation in charge of protecting the natives interest.
It's so alarming the cases brought against them that it amazes me how that institution managed to exist up until 2023 - its names was changed and
now it's a branch of the government, a ministry led by activist Indians. From that period to now, they were brutally exterminated, a handful still
remains and fights for their freedom and for the demarcation of their lands, separating what's theirs from the white man, but that reform never
reaches a common ground as the rural lobby and the agriculture business are way too strong in Congress.
It's a nice piece that covers a great deal about a drastic problem faced by that community, the demonstrations they made to shake the public
administration were of huge importance and widely covered by the media, but it's not much of an engaging, gripping documentary. It's a little
tiring, doesn't come with a full closure and its end titles only dreams about the Constitution to come. That new Bill of Rights, considered
the "Great Charter" or "The Citizen Constitution" certainly ended a lot wrongs, made many other rights to help every citizen of Brazil, but most
of what's written wasn't applied in fact and that's why the issue remains, and all the native communities are still hoping for an effective change. 6/10.
