''The Burning Season'' is a 1994 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...

biographical A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

film directed by

John Frankenheimer John Michael Frankenheimer (February 19, 1930 – July 6, 2002) was an American film and television director known for social dramas and action/suspense films. Among his credits were ''Birdman of Alcatraz'' (1962), '' The Manchurian Candidate'' ( ...

. The film chronicles

environmental activist The environmental movement (sometimes referred to as the ecology movement), also including conservation and green politics, is a diverse philosophical, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues. Environmentalists advo ...

Chico Mendes Francisco Alves Mendes Filho, better known as Chico Mendes (; 15 December 1944 – 22 December 1988), was a Brazilian rubber tapper, trade union leader and environmentalist. He fought to preserve the Amazon rainforest, and advocated for the h ...

' fight to protect the Amazon rainforest. This was

Raul Julia Raúl Rafael Carlos Juliá y Arcelay (March 9, 1940 – October 24, 1994) was a Puerto Rican actor. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he took an interest in acting while still in school and pursued the career upon completion of his studies. After ...

's last film released during his lifetime, premiering on HBO on September 16, 1994, five weeks before his death. The film was based in part on the 1990 book of the same name by journalist

Andrew Revkin Andrew C. Revkin is an American science and environmental journalist, author and educator. He has written on a wide range of subjects including destruction of the Amazon rain forest, the 2004 Asian tsunami, sustainable development, climate chan ...

Plot

Chico Mendes was a Brazilian rubber tapper, unionist and environmental activist who was murdered in 1988 by ranchers opposed to his activism. The movie opens in 1951 with a young Mendes witnessing his father's interaction with corrupt ranchers who are exploiting peasants for their work. The bulk of the film then takes place between 1983 and 1988, showing Mendes' activism to preserve the Amazon rainforest, to his murder in a drive-by shooting by a disgruntled rancher waiting in the shadows.

Cast

as Francisco "Chico" Mendes *

Carmen Argenziano Carmen Antimo Argenziano (October 27, 1943February 10, 2019) was an American actor who appeared in over 73 movies and around 100 television movies or episodes. He was best known for playing Jacob Carter on ''Stargate SG-1''. He had recurring role ...

as Alfredo Sezero *

Sônia Braga Sônia Maria Campos Braga (; born 8 June 1950) is a Brazilian actress. She is known in the English-speaking world for her Golden Globe Award–nominated performances in '' Kiss of the Spider Woman'' (1985) and ''Moon over Parador'' (1988). She ...

as Regina de Carvalho *

Kamala Lopez Kamala Lopez is an American filmmaker, actress, writer, director, and political activist. She has had starring roles in '' Black Jesus'', ''Medium'', ''24'', ''Alias'', ''NYPD Blue'', ''Hill Street Blues'', ''Miami Vice'', and ''21 Jump Street''. ...

as Ilzamar *

Luis Guzmán Luis Guzmán (born August 28, 1956) is a Puerto Rican actor. His career spans over 40 years and includes a number of films and television series. He has appeared in the Paul Thomas Anderson films ''Boogie Nights'' (1997), ''Magnolia'' (1999) an ...

as Estate Boss *

Nigel Havers Nigel Allan Havers (born 6 November 1951) is an English actor. His film roles include Lord Andrew Lindsay in the 1981 British film ''Chariots of Fire'', which earned him a BAFTA nomination; as Dr. Rawlins in the 1987 Steven Spielberg war dram ...

as Steven Kaye *

Tomas Milian Tomas Milian (born Tomás Quintín Rodríguez-Varona Milián Salinas de la Fé y Álvarez de la Campa; 3 March 1933 – 22 March 2017) was a Cuban-born actor and singer with American and Italian citizenship, known for the emotional intensity and ...

as Darli Alves *

Esai Morales Esai Manuel Morales Jr. (born October 1, 1962) is an American actor. He has had notable roles in the films '' Bad Boys'' with Sean Penn and '' La Bamba'' with Lou Diamond Phillips (1987). His television roles include the PBS 2002 drama series '' ...

as Jair *

Edward James Olmos Edward James Olmos (born February 24, 1947) is an American actor, director, producer, and activist. He is best known for his roles as Lieutenant Martin "Marty" Castillo in ''Miami Vice'' (1984–1989), ''American Me'' (1992) (which he also dir ...

Wilson Pinheiro Wilson Pinheiro (died in 1980) was the president of the Brasiléia Rural Workers Union in the State of Acre in Brazil. He helped lead the fight against ranchers who were destroying the Amazon rainforest. Pinheiro was committed to defend the Amazo ...

Roger Cudney Roger Cudney (June 22, 1936 – July 5, 2021) was an American actor, singer, dubbing director, radio and television announcer. Biography Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Cudney was known for starring in numerous Mexican films and telenovelas in which he ...

as Reporter

Awards and nominations

American Cinema Editors *Nominated: Best Edited Motion Picture for Non-Commercial Television (Françoise Bonnot and Paul Rubell) Casting Society of America *Nominated: Best Casting for TV Movie of the Week (Junie Lowry-Johnson) Emmy Awards *Won: Outstanding Directing in Miniseries or a Special (

) *Won: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special (

osthumously *Nominated: Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries or a Special ( Ron Hutchinson,

William Mastrosimone William Mastrosimone (born August 19, 1947) is an American playwright and screenwriter from Trenton, New Jersey. He attended high school at The Pennington School and received a graduate degree in playwriting from Mason Gross School of the Arts, ...

and

Michael Tolkin Michael L. Tolkin (born October 17, 1950) is an American filmmaker and novelist. He has written numerous screenplays, including '' The Player'' (1992), which he adapted from his own 1988 novel of the same name,Tolkin, Michael"The Player" 1st ed., ...

) *Nominated: Outstanding Made for Television Movie *Nominated: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special (

) *Nominated: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Special (

) Golden Globe Awards *Won: Best Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV (

osthumously *Won: Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV *Won: Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV (

) *Nominated: Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV (Sônia Braga) Screen Actors Guild Awards *Won: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries (

osthumously

External links

* * *
''The Burning Season: The Murder of Chico Mendes and the Fight for the Amazon Rain Forest''
(1990 Mendes biography by Andrew Revkin) {{DEFAULTSORT:Burning Season, The 1994 films 1994 drama films 1994 in the environment 1994 television films 1990s biographical drama films American biographical drama films American films based on actual events Best Miniseries or Television Movie Golden Globe winners Environmental films Films about trees Films based on biographies Films directed by John Frankenheimer Films scored by Gary Chang Films set in Brazil Films set in forests Films shot in Mexico Films with screenplays by Michael Tolkin HBO Films films 1990s American films