2024 was the worst year on record for the planet’s tropical forests. And Bolivia lost more than almost any other country. Fires tore through the Chiquitano and Amazon forests. Indigenous people were burned out of their homes.

Bolivia Burning, a new film from The Gecko Project, will take you into the heart of this environmental crisis - one Bolivian activists have denounced as an ecocide. The film follows Bolivian human rights lawyer Alvaro Garcia and environmental journalist David Hill as they travel through eastern Bolivia, ground zero for the fires and deforestation.

They meet healthcare workers grappling with the impacts of the fires; activists who are pushing on the government to act, after its “ecocidal” policies laid the groundwork for this disaster; members of the ultra-conservative Christian group setting up colonies deeper into the forest, to flee the forces of modernity; and investigate the role of massive US food conglomerate that is buying crops from deforested land and shipping it to global markets.

Watch the trailer:

We’re planning a wider international release later this year. In the meantime, we welcome and encourage screenings by other organisations. If you'd like to host a screening, request a press pack, or to be notified when the film is available online, please get in touch via info[at]thegeckoproject.org.

Bolivia Burning is currently being shown in a limited number of pre-release screenings across Bolivia, to spark dialogue among activists, students, indigenous people and politicians. Alvaro Garcia, who features in the film, has also appeared extensively on Bolivian media to discuss the film.

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