Pantanal: A Charred Wetland

About the Film

Growing up in the heart of Brazil, I'd always dreamt about visiting the Pantanal - a wetland ecosystem that was close to my hometown and an absolute wildlife paradise. The Pantanal also has the largest number of jaguars per area in the world, which made it even more exciting.

In September of 2020, I saw the devastating news that huge wildfires, like never before seen, started to take over this precious biome, killing thousands of animals. The photos of the Pantanal in flames and the vegetation destroyed were heartbreaking, and I knew I had to do something to help. 

I started to plan my film in March of 2021, beginning with research and story development. I knew that a group of volunteers had helped with animal rescues during the fires, and, researching the people involved, I found Eduarda Fernandes and Jorge Salomão. I immediately knew I wanted to tell their story. Eduarda is an ecotourism guide who works and lives in the Pantanal, and Jorge is a wildlife vet who works for the non-profit organisation AMPARA Silvestre. I contacted them to ask a few questions about the work they had done and, once they agreed to be a part of it, I started to write a rough script and storyboard. 

I went to Brazil in July of the same year to get all the footage I needed. Filming was very fun, but also a lot of work. I only had two weeks to film everything, which meant waking up at 4-5am every day for sunrise and going to sleep very late after trying to film nocturnal behaviours or taking star-lapses. I had two days to interview my contributors, and the rest was all dedicated to wildlife and nature. 

The post production process was the most time-consuming of all. It involved long days transcribing hours of interviews and translating everything between languages. I also had hours of wildlife footage to sift through and find the best shots. Colour grading, music and sound design were the last few things to get done before I could consider the film officially finished.