Cradled by the Earth

When Renata Mireilles and David Vêluz prepared to make a feature-length documentary about Indigenous childhood in Brazil, they did so not with a script in hand and cameras pointed, eagerly. Instead, they approached the exploration with open hearts and minds, asking the Guarani Kaiowá, Guarani Ñandeva, Baniwa, and Khisêtjê peoples, “What would you like to celebrate about the ways you raise your children?”The resulting film, CRADLED BY THE EARTH (DE COLO DA TERRA), is a connective, conversant, and uplifting meditation on the vitality of customs, play, and the Earth as teacher.We visited with Renata and David about working in deep collaboration with Indigenous communities, how the film fits into their ongoing creative project about childhood (Territory of Play), rejoicing in the remembrance of our responsibility to future generations, cinema as a bridge between cultures, and more.CRADLED BY THE EARTH is an Official Selection in the 2026 Portland EcoFilm Festival's Indigenous Voices series, where it received its USA premiere at the Clinton Street Theater.Learn more about the Portland EcoFilm Festival and our podcast at portlandecofilmfest.org where you'll also find detailed show notes and our guests' film recommendations from this episode.Our theme music is from the song “Earth Worship” by the amazing band, Rubblebucket.Our podcast is hosted, edited, and produced by our festival director, Rozzell Medina.The Portland EcoFilm Festival is a signature program of the Hollywood Theatre, Portland's premier modern-historic movie palace. Learn more at hollywoodtheatre.org.The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this program are solely those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of Film Forever Northwest or its affiliates.