Across the cracked fields of Goiás, in the geographic heart of Brazil, Sister María Inés de Oliveira drives slowly in her old car, raising a cloud of dust behind her. She goes from house to house, listening to farming families who have lost what were once fertile lands, devoured by the expansion of a major niobium mining company – a mineral deemed critical for the energy transition. Where crops once grew, mountains of toxic waste now rise.
“Beneath the Dust, Our Land” follows the steps of this nun who, with unwavering resilience and commitment, weaves bonds of solidarity among communities threatened with disappearance, yet unwilling to surrender. The film opens a window onto a conflict that links these Brazilian farming communities to a web of economic interests and an international structure of power which, beneath a green veneer, perpetuates the colonial logic. The paradox it exposes is inescapable: is it possible to build a truly just and sustainable future upon the ruin of those who safeguard the land?
Filmmaker details: Miguel Angel Herrera
Miguel Ángel Herrera (Bogotá, 30/11/1981) is a Colombian director, producer, director of photography, and editor. His recent filmography includes “Insumisas” (2023), “Ocupación S.A.” (2020) and “Los Anfitriones” (2020), and his films—always focused on human rights issues—have been screened at festivals such as the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the Málaga Film Festival, the São Paulo International Film Festival and the San Sebastian International Human Rights Film Festival. He holds a degree in Audiovisual Media from Politécnico Grancolombiano (Colombia) and has a specialisation in Film and Television Production. In 2012 he co-founded Forward Films, a documentary production company focused on social, environmental and human rights issues. Since then, he has worked on projects in over 20 countries across Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe. Miguel Ángel is a member of DOCMA (Spanish Documentary Film Association) and, in 2024, was selected to participate in EsoDoc, an international documentary development programme centred on projects with social impact.