Produced by Juma Xipaia and Leonardo DiCaprio, YANUNI is Oscar 2026-eligible and wins major environmental and Indigenous film awards.
Award-winning run and Oscar eligibility
São Paulo, December 2025 – The documentary YANUNI, produced by Indigenous leader and environmental activist Juma Xipaia and Leonardo DiCaprio, has become one of the most celebrated environmental films of recent years. Directed by Richard Ladkani, it has collected a series of accolades at prestigious festivals worldwide. The film is also on the official list of documentaries eligible for the 2026 Academy Awards.
Produced by Malaika Pictures, YANUNI portrays frontline resistance in defense of the Amazon, its peoples and territories. In doing so, it has gained visibility at major environmental and Indigenous cinema showcases. Its trajectory underscores the urgency of climate and socio-environmental debates on the global stage.
Festival circuit and international recognition
YANUNI premiered at top-tier festivals as the Closing Film of the Tribeca Festival in New York, one of the most influential events on the circuit. During the awards night, Leonardo DiCaprio appeared on stage alongside Juma Xipaia to highlight the importance of the story told in the film. The moment helped amplify the documentary’s reach beyond environmental circles.
Later, the film closed the Montrose LandxSea Environmental Film Festival in Scotland, where it received the Audience Award. In Los Angeles, YANUNI won Best Documentary at the Red Nation International Film Festival, considered the leading global festival for cinema by and about Indigenous Peoples. These achievements signal strong engagement from both critics and audiences.
Still in the United States, the documentary opened the Los Angeles Brazilian Film Festival, reaffirming its relevance in the international environmental film landscape. In Brazil, it received the
The struggle of Juma Xipaia and Hugo Loss
YANUNI follows the journey of Juma Xipaia, chief of the Kaarimã village in the Xipaya Indigenous Land, in Altamira, Pará. Together with her husband, Hugo Loss, an environmental agent and former operations coordinator at Ibama, she confronts the expansion of mining and illegal gold prospecting. The film highlights the defense of Indigenous territories, peoples and communities across the Amazon.
While facing threats and pressure, Juma also experiences motherhood, revealing the personal cost of resistance. The documentary weaves intimate scenes with broader political context to portray Indigenous wisdom and resilience. The soundtrack features contributions from Indigenous artists Katu Mirim and Djuena Tikuna, reinforcing the film’s rootedness in Indigenous perspectives.
About Juma Xipaia
In 2016, at the age of 24, Juma Xipaia became the first woman to serve as chief of the Xipaya people, in the Middle Xingu region. She is now chief of Kaarimã village, in the Xipaya Indigenous Land, in Altamira (Pará). Her leadership centers on defending human rights, environmental protection and Indigenous territories, with emphasis on self-determination and resistance to invasions.
Juma has opposed large infrastructure projects such as the Belo Monte dam, industrial mining ventures like Canadian company Belo Sun, and illegal prospecting. She has survived six assassination attempts for confronting miners, land grabbers and multinational corporations threatening her ancestral lands. Through YANUNI, she reaffirms her unwavering commitment to Indigenous rights and environmental protection, inspiring change in Brazil and worldwide.
About Hugo Loss
With over a decade at Ibama, Hugo Loss is an environmental agent, a Social Sciences graduate from the Federal University of Paraná and holds a master’s degree in Social Anthropology from the University of Brasília. He has become a national reference in Amazon environmental enforcement, especially against illegal mining, invasions and land grabbing on Indigenous territories. His work has placed him at the center of sensitive operations.
During Jair Bolsonaro’s administration, Hugo was the target of illegal surveillance and was dismissed from Ibama in April 2020, in a context of political pressure linked to his defense of forests and Indigenous lands. He returned to the agency in 2023 after the change of government. In YANUNI, his story intertwines with Juma’s, illustrating the risks faced by environmental defenders.
About YANUNI
YANUNI is an intimate and epic portrait of an Amazonian Indigenous leader stepping from a remote village onto the frontlines of climate justice. After surviving multiple assassination attempts, Juma is appointed National Secretary for Articulation and Promotion of Indigenous Rights in Brazil’s first Ministry of Indigenous Peoples. At the same time, her husband, Hugo Loss, leads high-risk operations against illegal miners for Ibama.
As Juma navigates political power, growing threats and the challenges of pregnancy, she is forced to confront the personal price of resistance. YANUNI builds a powerful narrative about Indigenous wisdom, love and the urgent struggle to protect the planet we call home. The film is produced by Malaika Pictures in association with Appian Way, Nia Tero, Age of Union, Tellux Group, with support from the Austrian Film Institute.
