The Jatoba is presented as an untouched tree in a completely burned forest.The short video tells the story of the “Refugee Tree.” The tree embarks on a mission to call for the world’s attention; it travels on water and on land having as means of transport ships, cars, and even a train, but it also travels “by foot,” arriving, in the end, in front of an embassy. Actually, the asylum request was made at the opening event 24 Hours of Reality: Countdown to the future, by Climate Reality Project, and was sent to more than fifty embassies. The video’s dramatic scene ends with a message asking the world to help save the Amazon, otherwise, in 15 years, it will no longer be a tropical rainforest. Never again.

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Q&A

What was the brief? Detail the challenge and objectives, and where available, the target audience and other relevant background information.

Make the Brazilian population and the world aware of the abuses that the Amazon forest has been suffering, in Brazilian territory, with the strong deforestation over the years and the worsening of the situation in the current government.

Explain the creative solution, the reasoning behind it, and how it solved the challenge in the brief.

The 1951 Refugee Convention defines a “refugee” as “a person who is outside his/her country of nationality or habitual residence; has a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion; and is unable or unwilling to avail himself/herself of the protection of that country, or to return there, for fear of persecution.” 

Millions of people are defined as such and, more recently, some members of flora or fauna find themselves in the same situation. In this campaign for Climate Reality Project Brasil, people can see for the first time a tree seeking asylum because it feels that its existence is threatened if it stays in its territory of origin. 

A Jatoba, one of the many endangered native species threatened with extinction. 

Where did the work run?

We shot in São Paulo, and other parts of Brazil, including Amazonia.

How long did the work run for?

3 months.

If relevant, explain any references that are specific to a culture or country and that may not be understood otherwise.

The Amazon has been crying out for help for years. And now, with the president Jair Bolsonaro things getting worse. The refugee application symbolizes not only the survival of this and other lifeforms that are essential for this planet, but also the struggle of the various indigenous tribes such as the "Ribeirinhos" and "Quilombolas", among many others that live in the Amazon fighting to protect the forest and its territories. This action reveals the urgency of mobilization at a national and international level, as well as the need of reinforcing the fight of natives and locals who maintain a sustainable relationship with the Amazon.