Synopsis: IN THE LAND OF PALM OIL focuses on the casualties, both human and environmental, of palm oil exploitation in Indonesia. The film fuses first hand accounts of villagers — victims of land-grabbing by large global corporations who pay off local and national officials — and vérité observations of young Dayak activists who are trying to expose the brutal human rights violations.
The narrative thread of the film centers on Emmanuela Shinta, a rising Dayak activist who sees video and social media exposure as the key to holding her government to account. Acting as an eyewitness to both the civil rights abuses and the environmental degradation, Shinta and her team visit Dayak villagers to record their experiences and ride along with firefighting teams during the dry seasons to expose the tragic consequences of the modern day palm oil empire in her home province of Central Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo).
Through a close collaboration with local people, the film develops and threads this narrative into the reality of the situation there. The film weaves together the many personal narratives of loss with broader observations on current political and social conditions within the Dayak community. In tandem with a quest for answers and accountability, the film constructs a stark portrait of the lasting effects of crony capitalism, now over two decades into the Post-Suharto Reformation.
Director Bio:
DENISE DRAGIEWICZ directs films about the ambitions and challenges of rainforest conservation efforts.
Most recently in 2024, she directed an episode for Al Jazeera’s Witness program titled THE FIRE BENEATH HER, which details a young Indonesian activist who is determined to save the land surrounding her ancestral village from falling into the hands of mining companies.
IN THE LAND OF PALM OIL, follows aspiring Dayak journalist, Emmanuela Shinta, as she fights for environmental justice in her homeland of Indonesian Borneo amid the massive palm oil expansion in the region.
Filmed in Mozambique in 2014, NDZOU CAMP tells the story of a small mountainous community determined to protect their elephant population (Yale e360; Films for Change; Life on Terra). CHOCOLATE IN THE JUNGLE depicts the plight of Ecuadorian cacao farmers in the midst of massive deforestation in the Choco region (Yale e360; Life on Terra). ANDASIBE portrays the local struggles of grassroots conservationists in Madagascar, highlighting efforts to protect the territory of the region’s flagship lemur, the Indri (Lemur Conservation Network, Wildlife Conservation Film Festival, Vassa International Film Festival). THE BURNING OF BORNEO’S PEAT SWAMP FOREST illustrates the degradation of Indonesian forestland surrounding Sabangau National Forest, home to the largest breeding population of orangutans (Yale e360, Global Peace Film Festival).
As editor, Denise assisted on the 2015 feature doc MISSING PEOPLE (special Critics Award, Los Angeles Film Festival; Winner, Independent Spirit Awards; DOC NYC), and was lead editor on the 2019 feature RENEGADE DREAMERS (PBS Metrofocus; Cinema Village NYC).
Her award-winning films are all currently being distributed by Facts on File: Films for the Humanities and Sciences.
Director Statement:
“In 2015, from August to October, the sky was dark. It was so dark with yellow air because of the toxic gas. Everyone was starved of oxygen. There was no way to breathe freely and eyes were barely open. There was nowhere to hide.” – Emmanuela Shinta
In the Land of Palm Oil is a character-driven narrative about a young indigenous journalist navigating the politics of a country that has robbed its people of their basic right to live freely. As she attempts to hold accountable the leadership of her provincial government, we witness her maturing in her own right as a young woman who dares to leaves behind her traditional village to become a tour de force on the stage of international climate activism.
The story presents the seemingly impossible to overcome obstacle of a corrupt government enforcing the illegal act of land confiscation. The intense environmental pollution, the offspring of these immoral acts, seems to only further the despair felt by the villagers. Together these issues present a world torn apart by greed and environmental turmoil.
Nevertheless, the dreary tone of the film is offset by Shinta’s youth and determination, leading to a sense that the climate challenges of the modern world, though seemingly unconquerable, might yet be brought into balance, driven by the will of a resolute generation of young activists. Though tragedy drives the film’s most energized narrative arc, sub-arcs detailing Shinta’s determination to engage global audiences in the heartbreaking story of her own people, create a more optimistic tone.
Hope, therefore, is the thread that holds the narrative together. As Shinta moves the tragedy of land-grabbing to a new arena when she visits India, and we understand the ubiquitous nature of oppression, instead of feeling defeated, the audience is left more with a self-awareness of their own responsibility to participate in both local and global movements that can thwart what is presented as injustice.
The role of an artist is to evoke both an aesthetic and emotional response. I want people to care deeply about both human rights and environmental justice in countries beyond their own and to spur a desire to put pressure on international communities that allow such crimes to go unpunished.”
