There are power couples… and then there is Juma Xipaia and Hugo Loss. As illustrated in Richard Ladkani’s (“Sea of Shadows”) riveting, urgent, and Oscar-shortlisted documentary “Yanuni,” the two are fierce defenders of the Amazon rainforest engaged in a life-and-death struggle against illegal mining operations that threaten the existence of Brazil’s Indigenous territories.
Richard joins Ken on the pod to discuss how he was first introduced to Juma — who, in 2016, became the first female chief of the Xingu peoples — and their subsequent filmmaking collaboration that included many unpredictable twists and turns. Not least among the surprises was Juma’s transformation from protest leader to government official when newly elected Brazilian President Lula da Silva tapped her to lead an initiative to promote Indigenous rights. Meanwhile, Hugo is put in charge of a special operations unit whose dangerous missions involve identifying and destroying illegal mining operations in protected Indigenous areas. Together, Juma and Hugo’s love of the forest can only be matched by the birth of their daughter Yanuni, who is destined to carry their fight into the next generation.
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