YANUNI follows the extraordinary journey of Juma Xipaia, an Indigenous chief from the Brazilian Amazon, as she rises from a remote village in Xipaya territory to the political frontlines of climate justice. A fearless defender of her people and the rainforest, Juma has survived six assassination attempts while confronting illegal gold miners, land-grabbers, and multinational corporations threatening her ancestral land. Spanning years of activism and personal sacrifice, the film captures Juma’s historic appointment as Brazil’s first Secretary of Indigenous Rights under President Lula. At her side is Hugo Loss, her husband and the head of Special Operations at IBAMA, Brazil’s environmental protection agency.
As Juma fights on the political front, Hugo leads dangerous operations to dismantle illegal mining camps deep in the Amazon—often under armed threat. When Juma discovers she is pregnant, her battle takes on new urgency. Navigating impending motherhood, rising political responsibility, and Hugo’s high-risk missions, she is forced to confront the personal cost of resistance. Told with intimate access and cinematic urgency, YANUNI is both a love story and a call to action. It illuminates one of the world’s most critical environmental and human rights struggles through a deeply personal lens.
At once epic and intimate, YANUNI is a powerful portrait of resilience, Indigenous sovereignty, and the fight to protect the world’s largest rainforest—for future generations and the planet we call home.
