Yanuni
YANUNI is a cinematic portrait of Juma Xipaia, an Indigenous chief from the Brazilian Amazon who rises from a remote village to the frontlines of climate justice. After surviving six assassination attempts, she is appointed Brazil’s first Secretary of Indigenous Rights—while her husband, a federal IBAMA agent, leads dangerous operations against illegal gold miners. As Juma navigates political power, growing threats, and impending motherhood, she is forced to confront the personal cost of resistance. At once intimate and epic, YANUNI is a powerful story of Indigenous sovereignty, love, and the urgent fight to protect the planet we call home.
Credits and Cast
Producers: Leonardo DiCaprio, Juma Xipaia, Anita Ladkani, Richard Ladkani, Jennifer Davisson, & Philipp Watson
Director: Richard Ladkani
Cinematography: Richard Ladkani & Fábio Nascimento
Writing: Richard Ladkani
Editing: Georg Michael Fischer
Score: Scott H. Salinas
Cast: Juma Xipaia & Hugo Loss
Director’s Biography -Richard Ladkan
Richard Ladkani is an award-winning director and cinematographer with over fifty documentaries to his credit, spanning urgent environmental, social, and political themes. His films include Sea of Shadows (National Geographic/Disney+) and The Ivory Game (Netflix)—both executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio. Sea of Shadows won the Sundance Audience Award, while The Ivory Game was shortlisted for the Academy Awards in 2017.