SYNOPSIS
In this tense and immersive documentary, audiences are taken directly into the line of fire between powerful, opposing Peruvian leaders who will stop at nothing to protect their respective visions for the country’s future. On one side is President Alan García, determined to open vast tracts of the Amazon to oil, gas, and mineral extraction. Opposing him is Indigenous leader Alberto Pizango, whose impassioned resistance rallies communities to defend their ancestral lands. As negotiations collapse, a war of words spirals into deadly violence, revealing the human and political cost of resource exploitation.ABOUT
When Two Worlds Collide is an award-winning feature documentary, executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and released worldwide on Netflix, that captures this defining moment in Peru’s modern history with unprecedented access and cinematic urgency. Respected for its balanced perspective, the film became a polemic centrepiece in Peruvian political discourse and earned major recognition on five continents, screening at top-tier international festivals. It qualified for Academy Award consideration in 2016 through a theatrical run and formal submission.
Today, it continues to be screened and taught in universities worldwide—in courses spanning environmental studies, human rights, Latin American politics, and media studies—underscoring its enduring impact as both a cinematic work and educational resource.
Key Awards
Winner – Special Jury Prize, Best Debut Feature, Sundance Film Festival
Winner – Golden Goblet, Best Documentary, Shanghai International Film Festival
Winner – Grand Jury Prize, Madrid International Documentary Film Festival
Winner – Audience Award, Best Film, Zurich Film Festival
Winner – Best International Documentary, Cineambiente
Winner – Green Dox, Dokufest International Documentary and Short Film Festival
Winner – Best Feature Film, Portland Eco Film Festival
Winner – Special Jury Prize, DMZ International Documentary Film Festival
Winner – Special Jury Mention, Mumbai Film Festival
Winner – Best Documentary, Global Eco Film Festival, Zurich
Winner – Best Film, Festival Internacional de Cine San Cristóbal de las Casas
Winner – Audience Award, ThisHumanWorld
Winner – Special Mention – International Documentary, Zurich Film Festival
Winner – Best Documentary – Special Mention, Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival
Winner – Producer Award for Best Documentary, TheWIFTS Foundation International Visionary Awards
Winner – Outstanding Achievement in a Debut Feature Film, Canadian International Documentary Festival
Winner – Honors Award of Excellence: Documentary Feature, The Accolade Global Film Competition
Winner – Best Film Peru, Premios Luces, El Comercio Peru
Select Nominations
Grand Jury Prize, World Cinema – Documentary, Sundance Film Festival
Best International Documentary Film, Zurich Film Festival
Audience Award, Top 20 Audience Favorites (5th Place), Hot Docs
Best Documentary Feature, Grand Jury Prize, Nashville Film Festival
Outstanding Achievement in a Debut Feature Film, Cinema Eye Honors Awards
New Jersey Films Competition, Montclair Film Festival (MFF)
PRESS
“CRITIC’S PICK. Stellar. Devastating. The rawest vision of capitalism run amok. The directors shot over the course of years, and they put epochal moments on the screen.” – Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice
“A potent chronicle of the fight between indigenous tribes and government-supported business interests in the Peruvian Amazon. Hair-raising footage.” – Dennis Harvey, Variety
“Effectively clarifies complex social and political issues. (The filmmakers) undertake an in-depth investigation of these conflicts in the Peruvian Amazon with their first documentary feature... Earnest, direct and sometimes surprisingly dramatic. Shooting the film over eight years, (they) gained an entrée to Peru’s indigenous communities… Their proximity to [Alberto Pizango] this humble and charismatic leader provides an insider’s perspective on the development of the indigenous protest campaign.” – Justin Lowe, The Hollywood Reporter
“When Two Worlds Collide unfolds with breathless urgency and offers a compelling, emotionally powerful portrayal of indigenous struggle that deserves attention.” – Robert Abele, LA Times
“Plunges viewers straight into the middle of an escalating battle between those who want to use the Amazon for its resources and those who want to protect it...powerfully explores both sides of the divide.” – Zack Sharf, Indiewire
“Tells with gripping immediacy the real-life Shakespearean tragedy of the Baguazo, a story that isn't over yet. Fast-paced drama...eloquent...wrenching.” – Frank Bajak, Associated Press
“A must-watch” – Lee Marshall, Screen Daily
“Spectacularly shot and emotionally gripping… a top-notch thriller based on an urgent threat facing our entire species.” – Star Tribune
“Powerful, unforgettable and essential” – Dan Bullock, The Hollywood News
“A heart-stopping look at how indigenous people organize to fight a land grab to sell foreign investors their communally owned land. Filmed in breathtakingly beautiful color, with passionate direction and brilliant editing.” – Jim Fouratt, West View News
“Gripping!” – Noel Murray, A.V. Club
“The true-life struggle between indigenous Amazonian Peruvians and the government that is actively encouraging multinational corporations to encroach on their land. An activist documentary… at its center is Albert Pizango, a genuinely magnetic revolutionary.” – Kenji Fujishima, Paste Magazine
screenings:
Sundance Film Festival 2016
Park City, UT
Winner: Special Jury Award: Best Debut Feature
riverrun international FILM FESTIVAL
us
Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Special Jury Mention
DOCUMENTAMADRID 2016
MADRID, SPAIN
WINNER: Grand Jury Prize
mONTcLAIR fILM fESTIVAL
Montclair, NJ
Hot docs Canadian international documentary festival
Toronto, ON
top ten audience favorite (No. 5)
CINEMAMBIENTE
TURIN, ITALY
WINNER: Best International Documentary
SHEFFIELD DOC FEST
SHEFFIELD, UK
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH FILM FESTIVAL
NEW YORK, US
THE 19th SHANGHAI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
SHANGHAI, CHINA
WINNER: Golden Goblet Award for Best Documentary Film
AFI FILM FESTIVAL
WASHINGTON, US
nantucket film festivaL
Nantucket, US
NZIFF New zealand international film festivaL
auckland, nz
FESTIVAL DE CINE DE LIMA PUCP
LIMA, PERU
DOCUFEST FILM FESTIVAL
PRIZREN, KOSOVO
WINNER: GREEN DOX Award
FURTHER DATES
2016
Film Forum
NYC, NY Wednesday. Aug 17-30
TakeOne Action
London, UK Aug 18-19
San Diego Latin Film Festival
San Diego, CA Aug 26–Sept 1
Laemmle Monica Film Center
Los Angeles, CA Sept 16
Camden International Film Festival
Camden, ME Sept 15-19
Picture House
London, UK Sept 9–15
Oslo HRW
Oslo, Norway Premiere, Sept 13
SF Green Film Festival
San Francisco, CA Sept 20
Fine Arts Festival
San Juan, PR Sept 29-Oct 9
Digital Gym
San Diego, Sept 16–22
Panoramica
Sweden Premiere, Sept 22–25
Bergen IFF
Norway, Sept 20–28
DMZ Docs
South Korea Premiere, Sept 22–29
Zurich Film Festival
Zurich, Switzerland Premiere
Sept 28 – 18:15 Corso 4
Sept 29 – 13:30 Arena ,
Sept 30 – 21:15 Arthouse Piccadilly
Oct 2 – 21:00 Arena 7
VARSITY THEATRE
ASHLAND, OR, SEPT 30 – OCT 6
JACOB BURNS FILM CENTER
PLEASANTVILLE, NY, OCT 10
Lima Peru
Opens Nationally Oct 13th
The Screen
Santa Fe, NM, Opens October 14
Antenna Documentary Film Festival
Australia Premiere, Oct 15, 4:00PM, SYD - Verona Cinema - tickets
Mumbai Film Festival
India Premiere, Oct 22-27
(more to be announced soon)
WHAT YOU CAN DO
1. PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD
Really, it’s that simple. Tweet, post, share the film and the issues at its heart.
The further we can spread the word about what's happening to the Amazon the greater our chances are of conserving species and protecting the rights of its indigenous peoples.
Twitter: @WTWCmovie - Be sure to include #WhenTwoWorldsCollide in your tweets.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whentwoworldscollide/
AMAZONWATCH: http://amazonwatch.org/
Mongabay: https://www.mongabay.com/
2. SIGN UP TO THIS WEBSITE
Please sign up to our website with your email address so that we can keep you updated on new developments related to the issues at stake or things you can do to help protect the Amazon.
Sign up HERE
