TV CENARIUM premieres DOC Amazon In the Line of Fire

By Cenarium

MANAUS (AM) – CENARIUM TV launches the documentary “Amazon In the Line of Fire”, produced over six months in 2024, revealing the daily life of Indigenous peoples who fight forest fires on the front line of the largest tropical forest on the planet. The doc shows who works to protect the biome when the fire advances and turns the territory into a state of permanent risk, worsening the effects of the climate crisis in the Amazon region. The production is available in Portuguese and in English on the CENARIUM TV YouTube channel.

Filmed in villages, side roads and remote trails, the documentary exposes the resistance of men and women, adults and even children, who walk for hours under extreme heat to prevent the destruction of their lands. With direct narration and impactful images, the production answers the central question: “Who holds the Amazon when it is in flames?”, by documenting the work of Indigenous brigades that keep the forest alive.

The routine captured by the lenses of the professionals reveals the intensity of what takes place in the Indigenous Territory (IT) Caititu, located in Lábrea (702 kilometers from Manaus), where 362 thousand hectares are cared for daily by volunteer brigades with the support of training from the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama). The institution is a federal autarchy, linked to the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MMA), responsible for implementing the national environmental policy in Brazil.

In 2024, the country recorded 254,525 fire outbreaks, and the Indigenous Territories (ITs) had a significant increase of 163.6% in fires compared to the previous year. In Lábrea, where part of the documentary’s filming takes place, there were 4,268 outbreaks in 2024, highlighting the growing pressure on the territory, known as the “Arc of Fire” region.

For the documentary’s executive producer, journalist Paula Litaiff, the material is not just a record — it is a testimony. “Following these firefighters is understanding an Amazon that often does not reach the screens. It is seeing the strength, discipline and care of those who know the forest from within. Adults and children, men and women unite to contain fire outbreaks guided by a collective sense of protection,” she notes.

Reporter Adrisa De Góes, who lived with the brigades during the filming, brings her own sensitive reading of the experience to the documentary. “Even tired, they keep going. There is a profound sense of responsibility toward the forest, beyond the instinct of self-protection. It is something that touches and transforms those who follow it up close,” she reports.

Volunteering

The documentary also highlights the growing presence of Indigenous firefighters in the country. Of the 3,245 hired by Prevfogo, 50% are Indigenous and 20% quilombola — a reflection of the importance of these peoples in preserving the forest. In territories such as IT Caititu, volunteers join the effort, receiving training from Ibama and applying fire-fighting techniques aligned with traditional knowledge.

Beyond the fires, the film follows the impact of factors such as livestock expansion, extreme drought and deforestation in the Arc of Fire. In 2023, Lábrea had the largest cattle herd in Amazonas, with 652 thousand head of cattle, reflecting profound changes in the landscape. The production shows how these transformations intertwine with the life of villages that depend on the forest for their health, food and spirituality.

Testimonies from local leaders strengthen the documentary’s human dimension. “When I see a tree burning, I think of the generations that come after us,” says firefighter Leonilda Apurinã, in one of the most emotional scenes. The film also follows the return of firefighters after hours of combat, marked by exhaustion.

“The DOC Amazon In the Line of Fire calls the public to an urgent reflection: protecting and respecting those who defend the forest in the Amazon is recognizing that traditional peoples have sustained, for centuries, one of the most important foundations preventing global climate collapse,” says Paula Litaiff.

CREDITS – AMAZON IN THE LINE OF FIRE

Executive production
Paula Litaiff

General reporting direction
Adrisa De Góes

Image direction and drone capture
Laryssa Gaynett

Assistant director
Ana Pastana

Post-production script
Bianca Diniz

Video editing and montage
Arthur Hayden

Sound design and original score
Ravi Leal

Editor – Textual reporting
Márcia Guimarães (revistacenarium.com.br)

Textual review
Gustavo Gilona

Textual translation (English)
Gustô Alves

Photos
Ana Carolina Costa