March 1, 2021

NewsDoc Alum Shezad Hameed Ahmad wins silver award at the 2020 Handle Climate Change Film Festival

Ahmad got the award for his documentary film on Brazil’s Amazon Rainforest in Shenzhen, China. For his film, the Singapore-based filmmaker traversed across Brazil’s rainforests on an investigative journey. His work exposed illegal gold miners who are cutting down trees to mine for gold. Deforestation across Brazil’s Amazons has increased by 30% since Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro came to power. More than 120,000 square kilometers of the forest have been destroyed. That’s the size of 8.4 million football fields. It has displaced around 400 indigenous groups. It has also decimated a vast store of carbon that is vital for tackling climate change. The filmmaker spent 15 days in the rainforests spending considerable time with the Mundurukku Tribe. Its drinking water is poisoned due to mercury.”