Charles De Meyer explores the lives of Brazil’s indigenous tribes, in his latest visual for Gojira. 

The powerful video for Amazonia features a dynamic performance - shot by De Meyer - interwoven with footage shot by multiple filmmakers, including Vincent Moon, Hauxplay, Jennifer Kumiko Hayashi, and Midia Ninja. 

Presenting an unfiltered representation of the struggles and hardships the tribes are forced to endure, the video and track are a call for unity, backed up by an initiative the band have set up. 

As Charles De Meyer explains below, as part of a larger fundraising campaign, proceeds from Amazonia will benefit The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB), an organisation that advocates for the environmental and cultural rights of indigenous Amazonian tribes "who have suffered immensely - victims of deforestation, land loss, forced labor, violence, and harassment."

CHARLES DE MEYER:

It became clear the subject had to be handled in an unfiltered manner, straight to the point. 

"Making this video was quite the adventure! I was hired to make them a video for their first single Born For One Thing, when we went to France to shoot the band. Just before leaving, the label asked us if we could shoot the performance part of another video they had in the works, so we shot both back to back during the same weekend. It clicked so well with the band, they asked me to direct the whole video for Amazonia as well.

"While having gone through many options of what to do with the non-performance part (a group art-performance, several narratives and even the idea of leaving for Brazil to shoot locally), the band was putting together a charity to help local tribes build “healing houses” (tribal hospitals, to also help limit the spread of Covid-19). It became clear the subject had to be handled in an unfiltered manner, straight to the point.

"The best solution we could find (and keep the deadline) was to contact multiple filmmakers who had shot in the Amazon rainforest. We had the insane luck to get Vincent Moon on board, to which we owe most of the tribal imagery, but also Jennifer Kumiko Hayashi, Midia Ninja and Hauxplay.  

"I wove these shots together to best show the tribes’ situation as well as their culture; a fine line to walk when you’re 15,000 kilometers from the actual situation and never have seen the place with your own eyes. I worked hard to show the struggle these tribes face, their dignity and resilience, and to show that deforestation affects not only the forest and its amazing biodiversity, but tries to end ancestral ways of life, a richness of culture and tradition, long lost in many parts of the world.

"Robert Trujillo, Slayer, Bring me the Horizon, Slash and many more have pledged instruments and paraphanalia up for auction; Proceeds from the auctions and this song will benefit The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) who advocate for environmental and cultural rights of indigenous tribes in the Amazon who have suffered immensely - victims of deforestation, land loss, forced labor, violence, and harassment."