The Burning Season (1994 film)
The Burning Season is a 1994 American made-for-television biographical drama film directed by John Frankenheimer. The film chronicles environmental activist Chico Mendes' fight to protect the Amazon rainforest. This was Raul Julia's last film released during his lifetime, premiering on HBO on September 16, 1994, five weeks before his death. The film was based in part on the 1990 book of the same name by journalist Andrew Revkin.
The Burning Season | |
---|---|
Genre | Biography Drama |
Based on | The Burning Season by Andrew Revkin |
Screenplay by | William Mastrosimone Michael Tolkin Ron Hutchinson |
Story by | William Mastrosimone |
Directed by | John Frankenheimer |
Starring | Raul Julia Carmen Argenziano Sônia Braga Kamala Lopez-Dawson Luis Guzmán Edward James Olmos |
Music by | Gary Chang |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Executive producer | David Puttnam |
Producers | John Frankenheimer Thomas M. Hammel Grazia Rade Grazka Taylor Diane Batson-Smith (co-producer) |
Production location | Mexico |
Cinematography | John R. Leonetti |
Editors | |
Running time | 123 minutes |
Production company | HBO Pictures |
Release | |
Original network | HBO |
Original release | September 16, 1994 |
Plot
Chico Mendes was a Brazilian rubber tapper, unionist and environmental activist who was murdered in 1988 by ranchers opposed to his activism. The movie opens in 1951 with a young Mendes witnessing his father's interaction with corrupt ranchers who are exploiting peasants for their work. The bulk of the film then takes place between 1983 and 1988, showing Mendes' activism to preserve the Amazon rainforest, to his murder in a drive-by shooting by a disgruntled rancher waiting in the shadows.
Cast
- Raul Julia as Francisco "Chico" Mendes
- Carmen Argenziano as Alfredo Sezero
- Sônia Braga as Regina de Carvalho
- Kamala Lopez as Ilzamar
- Luis Guzmán as Estate Boss
- Nigel Havers as Steven Kaye
- Tomas Milian as Darli Alves
- Esai Morales as Jair
- Edward James Olmos as Wilson Pinheiro
- Roger Cudney as Reporter
Awards and nominations
Notes
References
- "Nominees/Winners". IMDb. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
- "1995 Artios Awards". Casting Society of America. October 11, 1995. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- Margulies, Lee (September 20, 1995). "HBO Leads the Pack With 89 CableACE Nominations: Television: Nods for 'Larry Sanders,' 'Dream On' push network ahead of Showtime, which garners 36". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
- "EMA Awards – Past Recipients & Honorees". Environmental Media Awards. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- "The Burning Season". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- "Past Winners & Nominees". Humanitas Prize. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- "The Burning Season". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- "The Inaugural Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild Awards. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
External links
- The Burning Season at IMDb
- The Burning Season) at AllMovie
- The Burning Season) at the TCM Movie Database
- The Burning Season: The Murder of Chico Mendes and the Fight for the Amazon Rain Forest (1990 Mendes biography by Andrew Revkin)