Theatrical Release of the Cannes Doc THE FALLING SKY, Opens March 7 at MoMA

KimStim Presents the North American Theatrical Release

of the Cannes Brazilian Documentary THE FALLING SKY

by Eryk Rocha and Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha

Winner at DOC NYC, This Urgent and Collaborative Film

With the Yanomami People of the Amazon Is a Staggering Tale

of Indigenous Resilience in the Face of Ecological Collapse

Opens March 7 at MoMA in New York City, and April 2 at the 

Laemmle Theaters in Los Angeles, Followed by Other Cities

KimStim is proud to announce the North American theatrical release of The Falling Sky (A Queda do Céu), the immersive and lyrical Brazilian documentary co-directed by acclaimed documentarian Eryk Rocha (Cinema Novo) and first-time director Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha.

A standout at major international festivals—including Directors' Fortnight at Cannes, DOC NYC, and Doclisboa—this powerful and award-winning portrait of Indigenous resilience will open with a one-week theatrical engagement at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City on Friday, March 7, followed by a theatrical release at Laemmle Theaters in Los Angeles beginning Friday, April 2, with additional cities to be announced.

Inspired by the 2010 book of the same name by Yanomami shaman Davi Kopenawa—who serves as both protagonist and narrator—and French anthropologist Bruce Albert, this breathtaking and collaborative film gives voice to the remote Yanomami and Watoriki communities as they issue a dire warning to the world: environmental catastrophe is imminent, driven by the greed of industrialized nations.

In a film that is both visually stunning and politically urgent, The Falling Sky follows the Yanomami people as they gather to perform the reahu, a ritual honoring a recently deceased shaman. But an even greater threat looms over them—the relentless advance of miners destroying their land. Through sacred ceremonies and spiritual invocations, the shamans seek to push back against this invasion.

The film's title—like the book—draws from an Indigenous prophecy warning of apocalypse if the Yanomami and their forest are lost. Rocha and Carneiro da Cunha craft an immersive account of Yanomami daily life and sacred traditions, capturing their profound relationship with time, nature, and the cosmos. Through expansive long shots and intimate moments, they reveal a people confronting ecological devastation with unwavering dignity, righteous anger, and an unshakable bond to their land—while also questioning the intentions of outsiders, including the filmmakers themselves.

With The Falling Sky, Rocha and Carneiro da Cunha offer an unflinching, collaborative testament to one of Brazil’s largest Indigenous communities as they fight to preserve their way of life—and stave off an environmental collapse that threatens us all.

"One of the most necessary and scorching pieces

 of nonfiction storytelling in recent memory."

—Carlos Aguilar, Variety 

"A vivid portrait of an indigenous people’s urgent fight for survival...

filled with beauty and fury. A potent film."

—Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter

"Singular, uncompromising... as urgent as its title demands."

—Robert Daniels, Screen

THE FALLING SKY. A Queda do Céu, Brazil/Italy/France, 2024, 108 min. In Yanomamö and Portuguese with English subtitles. Written and directed by Eryk Rocha and Gabriela Carneiro Da Cunha; with Davi Kopenawa, Justino Yanomami, Givaldo Yanomami, Raimundo Yanomami, Dinarte Yanomami, Guiomar Kopenawa, Roseane Yariana, and the Watoriki Community; Production Company: Aruac Filmes; Co-production companies: Hutukara Associação Yanomami, Stemal Entertainment with Rai Cinema; in collaboration with: Les Films d’Ici; Executive Producers: Heloisa Jinzenji, Tárik Puggina; Producers: Eryk Rocha, Gabriela Carneiro Da Cunha, Donatella Palermo; Associate Producers: Richard Copans; Director of photography and camera: Eryk Rocha, Bernard Machado; Additional camera: Morzaniel Iramari, Roseane Yariana; Editor: Renato Vallone; Sound: Marcos Lopes; Sound Design: Guile Martins; Sound Mix: Toco Cerqueira; Production director: Margarida Serrano. A KimStim Release. 

About the Directors:

Eryk Rocha, born in Brazil in 1978, graduated in Los Baños, Cuba. In his extensive filmography, highlights his first film Stones in the Sky, as well as Sunday Ball, Burning Night and Edna which received several awards and presence at renowned festivals. The Falling Sky marks Rocha's tenth feature film and his third time at the Cannes Film Festival, where he won the L’Oeil d’Or Award for Best Documentary for Cinema Novo in 2016.

Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha is a Brazilian filmmaker, theater director, researcher and environmental artistic activist. She is a partner at Aruac Filmes and creator of Margins project—about Rivers, Buiúnas and Fireflies. Her work has been presented at Wiener Festwochen, Festival d'Automne and Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. The Falling Sky marks her first film as director.

About Davi Kopenawa:

Davi Kopenawa Yanomami (born Toototobi, Brazil, c. 1956), is a Yanomami shaman and Portuguese-speaking spokesperson for the Yanomami People in Brazil, one of the country's largest Indigenous groups. Internationally recognized for his tireless advocacy of Indigenous rights, environmental protection, and the preservation of his people's culture and land. Kopenawa has also been a vocal critic of deforestation, mining, and other activities that threaten the Amazon rainforest and Indigenous peoples' livelihoods. In addition to his activism, Kopenawa is the co-author (with French anthropologist Bruce Albert) of The Falling Sky: Words of a Yanomami Shaman, in which he shares insights about the Yanomami worldview, spirituality, and challenges his community faces.