Written, directed and produced by Marcos Colón, Beyond Fordlândia (2017, 75 min) presents an environmental account of Henry Ford’s Amazon experience decades after its failure. The story addressed by the film begins in 1927, when the Ford Motor Company attempted to establish rubber plantations on the Tapajós River, a primary tributary of the Amazon. This film addresses the recent transition from failed rubber to successful soybean cultivation for export, and its implication for land usage, leading to such questions as:

• What were the actual economic reasons for Ford to venture hundreds of miles through the Amazon jungle to establish a home for his project?

• Why did he want to transplant a slice of twentieth century civilization into the middle of the Amazon forest?

• Was rubber cultivation his only goal?

• What are the ecological implications of this venture now ninety years later?

• How did Ford’s attempt to convert the lush, naturally abundant Brazilian landscape into industrial-scale agriculture foreshadow today’s destruction of the rainforest?

• What will be the impact of soybean monoculture for the future of the Amazon Rainforest?

• What are the lessons to be learned from today’s ecological experimentation and in particular from the Fordlândia experience?

PRESS KIT

We've put together a Press Kit for the film in which you'll find filmmaker bios, image galleries, press releases, and links to recent media coverage of Beyond Fordlândia.

Press Kit →

Take Action

The film Beyond Fordlândia highlights several pressing issues related to environmental destruction, human rights, and development in the Amazon region of Brazil. We invite you to learn about and take action to address these important issues.

Find Out How →

• “Best Feature Film,” Grand Rapids Film Festival, September, 2018.

• "Emerging Filmmakers Award," Princeton Environmental Film Festival, April 2018.

• "Green Image Award," Green Image Film Festival, Tokyo, Japan, March 2018.

• "Emerging Documentary Filmmaker" Award, Geneva Film Festival, March 2018.

• "Best-Awareness Raising Documentary," World Wildlife Fund, International Environmental Film Festival [FICMA-Barcelona], November 2017.

• Recipient, Golden Sun WWF Spain [Sol de Oro], International Environmental Film Festival [FICMA-Barcelona], November 2017.

• "Best Feature Documentary," Cabo Verde International Film Festival, October 2017.

• "Award of Excellence, Documentary Feature," Impact DOCS Awards, July 2017.