Short Film Imagines US Takeover of Amazon Amid Bolsonaro Son’s Rare‑Earth Dealings

The 21‑minute film *Vitória Régia* paints a dystopian 2025 where a successful coup hands the United States control of the Amazon rainforest. The narrative follows journalist Carol, played by Alice Braga, as she is barred from the jungle without a visa and witnesses a propaganda tour of an oil refinery under a replica Statue of Liberty.

Harold Goldman, head of oil firm Amazon X, greets the imagined US dominion with a televised toast: “Olá amigos! Today marks a new chapter in the historic relationship between the United States of America and the beautiful nation of Brazil.” The director, Denis Kamioka, filmed the piece in March 2025, noting how reality soon mirrored fiction after President Trump’s aggressive moves in Latin America.

In parallel, Brazil’s 2025 presidential race features Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, facing a rare‑earth scandal. Prosecutors allege he promised US access to Brazil’s vast rare‑earth deposits—critical for electronics and green technology—in exchange for electoral assistance. The accusation resurfaces as Flávio seeks to unseat incumbent left‑wing president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The film’s Indigenous collaborators, networks Coiab and Apib, use the story to highlight ongoing threats to Indigenous lands. Actor Ywyzar Tentehar, who grew up in the Guajajara village of Buritizal, stresses that illegal logging and land grabs persist despite official demarcation. Braga, an activist since her first Amazon visit a decade ago, warns that the fictional scenario could become reality if far‑right forces regain power.

*Vitória Régia* blends pop aesthetics with a soundtrack meant to inspire resistance, positioning Indigenous peoples as the custodians of long‑term environmental solutions. The creators cite the climate novel *The Ministry of the Future* as a hopeful counterpoint to despair.

The convergence of art and politics underscores Brazil’s fragile democratic trajectory. While the coup depicted in the film never materialised, the rare‑earth allegation suggests external powers remain a lever in domestic politics. Observers will watch whether Flávio Bolsonaro’s legal challenges affect his campaign and how the US responds to Brazil’s resource negotiations.

What to watch next: Election results in October and any formal US‑Brazil talks on rare‑earth extraction will indicate whether the film’s warning edges toward reality.