Educational Media Reviews Online

Emmanuela Shinta, the voice and force behind In the Land of Palm Oil, blends autoethnography and environmental activism and journalism to condemn the palm oil industry in Kalimantan, Indonesia. The documentary begins with an introduction to the history of palm oil production in Kalimantan (the Indonesian part of Borneo; Malaysia and Brunei are the other two countries that comprise the island of Borneo). In 1996, there was widespread clearcutting of the forests, which displaced wildlife, including orangutans. These clear-cuts lead to illegal palm plantations on land seized from the Indigenous population, including members of Shinta’s Dayak community. The palm oil plantations create arid lands where dense, humid forests once stood, which creates a vicious cycle of fire and devastation. Increasing amounts of land are cleared for palm oil production. The unique ecological factors combine to form a perfect environment for development-fueled disaster: the soil underneath the forests is made of dense peat. When the land is cleared, it is drained, drying it out and making it incredibly flammable. When fires start, they burn underneath the ground for weeks and months, polluting the air and increasing the risk that the fires will spread to adjacent land.

The subjects that Shinta addresses in her documentary project bring her personal narrative into conversation with the larger themes of environmental justice and Indigenous land rights; the seizure of Indigenous lands, police and government corruption, ecological pollution, and the destruction of wildlife habitat all feature equally prominently in her ambitious work. Her personal story clearly illustrates how each of these themes impact the Indigenous people in Indonesia.

Shinta’s own growth an Indigenous activist is part of the story—her journalism leads to her involvement in global development and human rights summits and conferences, and she takes on a spokesperson’s role at many of these meetings. But it is a role that she assumes unwillingly – she would prefer to be home, with her people, in her community, living peacefully and sustainably harvesting the crops they plant on a subsistence basis. Instead, she is speaking to international delegates about the long, poisonous tail of colonialism and the intergenerational trauma.

Her call to action to viewers includes an exhortation to give up palm oil – there is no guarantee that it is sourced from ethical or environmentally sustainable production. After watching this documentary, palm oil will taste bitter, sour – as consumers, we cannot enjoy our snacks and treats made with palm oil, now that we know the devastating effects its production wreaks. As one of the documentary clips says, paraphrasing William Jennings Bryan, “catastrophe is not a matter of fate, it is a matter of choice.”

Awards:
2024 Berlin Indie Film Festival, Best Green and Environment Film; 2024 Mannheim Arts and Film Festival, Best Environment and Climate Feature; 2024 Kiez Berlin Film Festival, Best Environment and Climate Feature; 2024 Green Montenegro Film Festival, Third Place; Sicilian Film Awards, Best Environment and Climate Feature Film; 2024 International Environmental and Human Rights Film Festival, Best Human Rights Long Length Documentary

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