Educational Media Reviews Online

Ivey Camille Manybeads Tso’s film, Powerlands, examines the widespread destruction of Indigenous lands in various locations across the world, citing coal mining, wind, and other natural resource corporations as the primary perpetrators. Specifically, the documentary focuses on showing the current state of tribes in the United States, Mexico, Colombia, and the Philippines, and how they have been navigating and pushing back against displacement caused by corporate movements. Powerlands tells its story through interviews with the Indigenous people and activists with minor narration sprinkled throughout.

In terms of content, Powerlands has merit. It works to showcase a meaningful and critical reality, and the global perspective of the film emphasizes the pervasive nature of corporate seizure, a point the director is clearly trying to make. The interviews and exhibition surrounding derelict Indigenous lifestyles is poignant to the viewer, particularly as it becomes evident how important the land is to inhabitants, no matter how difficult it has become to live on. When the focus shifts to the Philippines, in particular, viewers are faced with the brutal and complicated politics of native existence. The Blaan tribe is reeling from the murders of two of their own, for which they blame a battalion of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The tribe believes they were killed due to being confused for members of the New People’s Army (NPA), an armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines. These issues in the Philippines are only one example of the growing hostility and violence with organizations captured in the film, as well as the politicization of Indigenous ground. In the other locations, such as Colombia, this is further demonstrated by brief clips of futile conversations between corporation employees and native citizens. While desolate, the tone of the film is definite. Indigenous people of the aforementioned lands, though suffering, are actively resisting the confiscation of their home, despite light media coverage.

While the purpose of the film is incredibly valuable, much of the urgency of the issues presented lacks explanation. For example, there is very little information about the companies that are referenced. Though some dates are provided, there is almost no timeline or background given about the company takeover of Indigenous lands, no interviews or mention of key corporate persons involved, and no internal documents provided. In one clip, in Colombia, the filmmaker shifts between a scene showing the home of native people to a scene of a council meeting in which employees for the company, Cerrejon, attempt to justify their actions. This shift is quite sudden, with no opening statement explaining what the council meeting was entirely about, or any information about shown people besides their name and title. As such, while viewers can piece together what is going on, it leaves much to be desired.

In regard to presentation and delivery, there are a few directional choices, as mentioned, that limit in-depth engagement. Firstly, the film moves quite aimlessly between tribes of focus. This is made obvious by the fact that when the film details something that is going on in a country outside of the United States, it then jumps to show an often random scene in the United States For instance, after the filmmaker finishes covering issues in Colombia, a scene of tribe members in the United States working with clay is shown. While it is interesting to watch this craft making, the placement of the moment somewhat disrupts the storytelling. Similar instances occur numerous times throughout the film. While this may be considered a purposeful, stylistic choice by some, it would have been more understandable if the film shifted logically between each location. Any interludes between stories could have been filled with narration wrapping up what the viewer had just observed, and properly detailing what they would see in the next shot. However, there is a very small amount of narration used in the film at all, which only exacerbates the often disorderly narrative.

Despite these issues of organization, the pressing nature of the accounts being told, relative brevity, and structure of the film make it favorable for educational use. As the documentary segments various story lines, portions can be shown if needed. Furthermore, the film can be used to spark conversations around multiple topics, not limited to environmentalism, preservation of Indigenous lands, and corporate power. All of these factors, in combination, allow for viewing consideration, particularly in high school and early-level college classes. As such, the marred execution, but the power and importance of the film, results in Powerlands being recommended with reservations.

Awards:
Best Feature, American Documentary and Animation Festival 2022 (AmDocs); Best Environmental Documentary, Arizona International Film Festival; Firelight Media Documentary Fellowship; Finalist grantee, Chicken and Egg Films, Project Hatched; Rigoberta Menchu Award, Montreal First People's Festival

Published and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Anyone can use these reviews, so long as they comply with the terms of the license.