Human Faces Behind the Rainforest

Human Faces Behind the Rainforest Synopsis

HUMAN FACES BEHIND THE RAIN FOREST documents the dramatic opium poppy harvest in the Colombian rainforest through the experiences of indigenous peoples living there. Although social and economic conditions forced many of Colombia's indigenous communities into poppy production, in their own words they describe the social collapse associated with the illegal crop, from rampant alcoholism to chronic violence.

But several organizations are fighting these trends, like the Paez' Corporation for the Native Indian Women of Mama Wala, founded by Maria Lastenia Pito. In spite of death threats, she continues to fight for the eradication of the poppy flower. At the Quinteros Fish Farm, the Paez have progressively abandoned poppy production in favor of the lucrative fish production. And at a community meeting on the reservation of the Yanaconas Indians, the first definitive steps are being taken to end production of the illegal crop after years of bloodshed and turmoil.

However, problems persist for Colombia's indigenous population. The government fails to draw a distinction between drug cartels and peasant farmers, while dwindling government subsidies leave communities mired in poppy production. The flower, for many communities, still represents the only viable means of providing food and education for their people.

To complicate matters, government eradication programs like aerial fumigation have caused an ecological catastrophe and agricultural crisis, furthering the shortage of food and work, while having little effect on the drug trade itself.

A beautifully composed film, HUMAN FACES is simultaneously a revelation of the peasant origins of the Colombian opium poppy, an expose of how the flower's production affects the communities involved in the crop, and a plea to the international community for assistance.