Film Forum

Alberto Pizango, indigenous leader of Peru’s Amazonian people, vs. Alan Garcia, President of Peru (2006-2011), backed by the multinational corporations intent on exploiting the Amazon’s rich natural resources.  It is a David and Goliath battle currently being fought in one of the world’s most lush and magnificent rainforests. Pizango, reminiscent of Cesar Chavez in his charisma and implacability, organizes people who have called the rainforest home for a millennia, to oppose the illegal and violent takeover of their land. “Frankly, they’re savages,” intones the Minister of the Interior on Peruvian TV. We recently played the Oscar-nominated EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT, a drama of Amazonian intrigue and Western corruption. Here is a documentary that updates that story with aplomb.

With support from the Richard Brick, Geri Ashur & Sara Bershtel Fund for Social Justice Documentaries.

UK / PERU • 2016 • 103 MINS. • IN SPANISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
First Run Features

Reviews

“CRITIC’S PICK. Stellar. Devastating. The rawest vision of capitalism run amok. The directors shot over the course of years, and they put epochal moments on the screen.”
– Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice

“A heart-stopping look at how indigenous people organize to fight a land grab to sell foreign investors their communally owned land. Filmed in breathtakingly beautiful color, with passionate direction and brilliant editing.”
– Jim Fouratt, West View News

“Tells with gripping immediacy the real-life Shakespearean tragedy. Teems with graphic, dramatic footage. A fast-paced drama. A clash of implacable foes.”
– Frank Bajak, Associated Press

“Effectively clarifies complex social and political issues. (The filmmakers) undertake an in-depth investigation of these conflicts in the Peruvian Amazon with their first documentary feature... Earnest, direct and sometimes surprisingly dramatic. Shooting the film over eight years, (they) gained an entrée to Peru’s indigenous communities… Their proximity to [Alberto Pizango] this humble and charismatic leader provides an insider’s perspective on the development of the indigenous protest campaign.”
– Justin Lowe, The Hollywood Reporter

“A vivid if unabashedly partisan depiction of the clash between indigenous Peruvian minorities and government interests. The film makes its case powerfully. Shot over several years’ course, WHEN  TWO WORLDS COLLIDE, maintains a raw verité feel despite its narrative, temporal and geographic sprawl.”
– Dennis Harvey, Variety

“The true-life struggle between indigenous Amazonian Peruvians and the government that is actively encouraging multinational corporations to encroach on their land. An activist documentary… at its center is Albert Pizango, a genuinely magnetic revolutionary.”
– Kenji Fujishima, Paste Magazine

“Gripping!”
– Noel Murray, A.V. Club