A classic by Silvino Santos, a pioneer of cinema in the Amazon region, Amazonas – The Largest River in the World is now available to watch online and for free. The Brazilian Cinematheque announced that the 1918 feature film can be found in the Cultural Content Bank (Banco de Conteúdos Culturais – BCC) of the institution.
Amazonas – The Largest River in the World had been considered lost since the mid-1930s, but was rediscovered earlier this year at the Národní Filmový Archiv (National Film Archive of the Czech Republic). The discovered film was confirmed by the Brazilian Cinematheque as the missing work.
The documentary features images of the Amazon River, the regions it traverses, its tributaries, confluences, flora, fauna, and its inhabitants—including some of the earliest known moving images of the Witoto indigenous people—and longer sequences showcasing the extractive industries of the region: rubber, Brazil nuts, timber, fishing, and even egret feathers. The film was the result of three years of work by Silvino Santos.
The production had a special screening at the end of 2023, held at the fully-packed Teatro Amazonas, promoted by Cine Set in partnership with the Brazilian Cinematheque and the Government of Amazonas through the Secretariat of Culture and Creative Economy. Currently, the Cultural Content Bank of the Brazilian Cinematheque holds 96,000 items in its collection, including photographs, documents, magazines, films, posters, and telenovelas.
