New documentary by acclaimed journalist Brandi Morin captures Shuar Peoples' resistance to a copper mining project threatening 268 square kilometers of pristine Amazon rainforest
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LONDON (June 12, 2025)--A powerful new short documentary set to screen exclusively during London Climate Week chronicles the urgent struggle of the Pueblo Shuar Arutam, from the Maikiuants community, in Ecuador, as they fight to protect their ancestral homeland from annihilation by open-pit copper mining. An exclusive preview of “When Waterfalls Die” will screen on June 26, 2025, at Ladbroke Hall from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
The film is directed, written, and hosted by award-winning Cree/Iroquois/French journalist Brandi Morin and co-produced by Re:wild, AlldayEveryDay and Appian Way Productions. After the screening, Brandi Morin, Indigenous Earth defenders from Ecuador–including Shuar land defenders Numii Antun Yankur, Fanny Kaekat Utitiaj and Zenaida Yasacama, who is the vice president of Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador–will engage in a discussion with moderator Leo Cerda. Cerda is a climate activist and Indigenous rights defender from the Ecuadorian Amazon.
The documentary captures the intimate struggle of the Shuar, who have never been conquered—not by the Incas, not by Spanish conquistadors—as they face their greatest threat yet. Former Canadian mining company Solaris Resources has secured extraction rights to convert 268 square kilometers (103 square miles) of pristine Amazon territory into open-pit
copper mines, threatening one of Earth’s most biodiverse regions and the very existence of an Indigenous people willing to fight to the death to preserve their world.
“We are ready to defend our territory at all costs,” said Wakan Tsaank Antun Yapakach, Maikiuants elected leader. “Our ancestors protected this land with their blood, and we are prepared to do the same if necessary.”
The film exposes the tension between Ecuador’s constitutional rights of nature and a government that continues to prioritize large-scale resource extraction over Indigenous sovereignty and collective rights.“This is not just about the Maikiuants”, said Numii Antun Yankur, Shuar land defender, “this is about all Indigenous Peoples facing the same threats. We fight not just for ourselves, but for all who defend the Earth against those who would destroy it for profit.”
The expansion of illegal mining in Ecuador is alarming. Since 2020, mining activity has doubled in the country. In the absence of protections from the government, environmental damage is being inflicted on areas that are rich in biodiversity and highly fragile while the presence of armed groups grows along with the criminalization of Indigenous leaders and environmental defenders. “This isn’t just their story—it’s humanity’s final crossroads between ancient wisdom and corporate greed,” said director Brandi Morin. “When the last defender falls, we all lose something irreplaceable.”
The preview screening is presented in partnership with a coalition of organizations committed to Indigenous rights and environmental protection, including Amazon Watch, Earth Alliance, Cultural Survival, Indigenous Peoples Rights International, Mullu TV, Maikiuants community members, and Re:wild.
About Director Brandi Morin
Brandi Morin is a Cree/Iroquois/French journalist and filmmaker from Treaty 6 territory in Alberta, Canada. As a survivor of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls genocide, she brings profound personal experience to her work. Her work journalism has appeared in National Geographic, BBC, Al Jazeera English, The Guardian, VICE, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, and CBC, earning her numerous awards some of which include the Edward R. Murrow Award, Sidney Hillman Prize, Amnesty International Canada Media Award and the Tim Diego Free Press Award.
Featured Speakers
Numii Antun Yanku is a Shuar land defender trained as a paraecologist by Professor Mika Peck from the University of Sussex. He combines traditional ecological knowledge with scientific monitoring methods to document endangered species and protect his territory, warning that “if they destroy nature, they will exterminate our world.”
Fanny Kaekat Utitiaj is a fearless Shuar land defender and member of Women Defenders of the Amazon Rainforest who traveled to Canada in 2024 with an Amnesty International delegation to denounce the Canada-Ecuador free trade agreement.
Zenaida Yasacama is a pioneering Kichwa leader and the first woman vice president of CONAIE, Ecuador’s largest Indigenous rights organization, who has broken barriers to become a powerful voice for Indigenous sovereignty.
Event Objectives
The preview screening aims to amplify international awareness of the urgent crisis facing the Shuar Maikiuants and mobilize global support for their resistance against forced displacement and environmental destruction. The event seeks to forge strategic partnerships with international organizations, environmental advocates, and policy influencers to defend Indigenous territorial rights and hold both governments and corporations accountable to respecting free, prior, and informed consent.
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Event Details
What: Exclusive preview screening of “When Waterfalls Die” followed by Q&A with Indigenous Earth defenders
When:June 26, 2025, 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Where: Ladbroke Hall / London Action Climate Week
Press Contact
+1 202-244-4671
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About London Action Climate Week
London Action Climate Week is an unique gathering bringing hundreds of stakeholders committed to harness the unique power of London for global and local climate action. It mobilises London’s unparalleled ecosystem of climate and non-climate organisations to
accelerate global climate action and supports action in London to ensure it acts as a global climate leader. The week aims to demonstrate the whole of society engagement needed to support the delivery of decarbonisation and resilience as well as stimulate other global cities to host similar events.
