YANUNI follows the years of struggle of Juma Xipaia, indigenous chief of the Middle Xingu in Brazil, whose defense of her territory has put her up against illegal gold mining, the advance of major corporations, and six assassination attempts. The documentary traces that path from resistance on the ground to a historic moment, her appointment to Lula’s government as Brazil’s first Secretary of Indigenous Rights, within the newly created Ministry of Indigenous Peoples.

The film also speaks to the sacrifice woven into indigenous resistance, the abuses suffered by women and children across the Amazon, and fellow activists lost to repression. Juma goes through her own pregnancy apart from her husband Hugo, a federal agent who spends those same months on operations against illegal gold mines. It’s a portrait that manages to reach and connect people everywhere. It shows what it means to protect the largest rainforest on the planet for the generations to come, and our own place within that balance.

“I’m proud that we decided to put it up for free on YouTube so this story can reach everyone,” said Xipaia. “At this critical moment for the Amazon, the film’s message couldn’t be more important. I hope it crosses borders, wakes up consciences, and moves the world to act before it’s too late.”

The film has racked up more than 2 million views on YouTube in under five days. It premiered last year as the closing film of the Tribeca Festival, one of the most influential stages for independent documentary in the United States. Since then it has traveled to more than 65 festivals around the world and come back with over 25 awards, among them Best Documentary Feature and Best Direction at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, plus the Audience Award at the São Paulo International Film Festival. It also won Best Documentary Feature at the Los Angeles Brazilian Film Festival and the Cinema for Peace International Green Film Award.

Juma, who is also a co-producer of the film, chose this moment to release her story to the whole world at no cost, and that decision is no accident. Brazil is less than three weeks away from electing a president, and its congress is pushing proposals to open new mining zones inside indigenous territory.

Bringing YANUNI to millions of screens right now could still change something, before the ballots decide the Amazon’s future.