Leonardo DiCaprio
The Amazon may feel far away, but its fate is tied to ours. I’m proud to help bring @juma_xipaia’s story to life in @yanunifilm to showcase her work in protecting forests, culture and community in the Brazilian Amazon. These forests play a critical role in regulating the global climate through their vast biodiversity and are upheld by the Indigenous communities who have inhabited these lands for centuries. Their destruction by extractive industries isn’t just an environmental issue, it’s a human one. Our goal is for #YanuniFilm to build powerful momentum behind Juma’s mission—affirming the sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples and recognizing the Brazilian rainforest, along with the megadiverse forests of Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as vital to the survival of our planet. In November when world leaders will gather for COP30 in the Amazon with an opportunity to pass two critical initiatives – establishing the Tropical Forests Forever Fund and urging countries to join the Intergovernmental Land Tenure Commitment – we hope they will honor Juma’s indelible words: “The forest is our mother; she feeds us even when we forget to thank her.”