UÝRA: The Rising Forest

Journey through the Amazon forest with transgender non-binary Indigenous artist Uýra on their mission to enlighten and educate Brazilian youth about racism, transphobia, and the environment in this lyrical mix of performance art and vérité filmmaking. Winner of the Best Documentary Audience Award at Frameline Film Festival. —M.G.

In the city of Manaus, Brazil, performance artist Uýra rises. Through acts of political resistance and unbridled creative expression, Uýra rejects the status quo of a society ravaged by the pollution and destruction of the natural world, which pushes fellow trans nonbinary Indigenous people into the margins. A convergence of activism, ecology, and imagination, the work is born from a drive to connect people to their ancestral heritage. Through this performance, they draw together a community that embraces their collective Indigenous roots, all while combating the structural racism and transphobia of our time and the ongoing erasure of native cultural histories and identities. With breathtaking cinematography as Uýra travels through the lush Amazon rainforest, UÝRA: THE RISING FOREST is a feast for the senses that challenges the destructive nature of modern, authoritarian societies. —C.F.