The Buriti Flower

Renée Nader Messora & João Salaviza / Portugal & Brazil / 2023 / 125 min

Right in the centre of Brazil’s geographical heartland is Kraolândia Indigenous Land, a home to the indigenous Krahô tribal people and has been for hundreds of years. But like all indigenous peoples, the Krahô are under pressure from the outside world and must fight to avoid being swallowed up by globalisation. Through the eyes of her daughter, Patpro Krahô goes through three periods of indigenous history. From rituals and love of nature, through a traumatic massacre, to today, where rare animals are stolen from the territory, traditional ceremonies are performed wearing shorts and trousers, and her daughter suddenly wants to sleep on a mattress. Past collides with present, and the chaos of the outside world influences the memories, stories and perspectives of the Krahô people to such an extent that Patpro must travel to the capital Brasilia to attend a major conference on the country’s indigenous people and continue the resistance and struggle for her people’s freedom. ‘The Buriti Flower’ is a patient hybrid portrait of the Krahô people, wrapped in sumptuously beautiful images from the deep, humid, colourful, dark beauty that is the Brazilian forests.