Raoni's Family Moves to Block Documentary Screening in Turkey

By Marcus Bennett

The family of Chief Raoni Metuktire and leaders of the Mẽbêngôkre people are trying to stop a screening of the documentary "Raoni, Amazonian Warrior" scheduled for Friday, 13 December, in Antalya, Turkey. The group says it never authorised the release of the film and is demanding the session be suspended.

The screening takes place in parallel with COP31, the international climate conference. It is scheduled outside the conference premises and does not form part of the official programme. Meanwhile, Raoni remains hospitalised in palliative care, in fragile health.

Who made the film?

The documentary is directed by French filmmaker Alexandre Bouchet and produced by Yemaya Productions. The Instituto Raoni said it formally notified the production company on 19 October, requesting the cancellation of the launch and its publicity until outstanding issues were resolved. The company replied citing business confidentiality over commercial agreements, but kept the screening on the calendar.

In a letter sent on 7 November, family members and Mẽbêngôkre leaders reaffirmed that they do not authorise the use of the chief's image, name or life story without prior consent. The document notes that the family is monitoring the health of Raoni and of three other relatives important to the community, and demands respect for Kayapó traditions.

What does this change for indigenous consent?

The dispute has drawn political support. Former Minister of Indigenous Peoples Sonia Guajajara backed the Instituto Raoni and the family. She said free, prior and informed consent cannot be treated as a formality, citing a history of indigenous images being used without consultation with the communities concerned.

Guajajara called the screening contradictory: showing a film against the family's wishes during an international conference on climate change sits uneasily with the event's stated purpose. In her view, there is no climate justice without respect for the self-determination of indigenous peoples.

The case now tests whether pressure from indigenous leaderships can reach a private production company before Friday's date, and it sets an uncomfortable precedent for how indigenous figures are represented on international platforms if it cannot.