AMBASSADORS

AMAZON RIVER FROM ICE TO SEA is a unique complex project that will only be possible thanks to the voluntary contribution of very special people who dedicate themselves to environmental and social causes.

CÉLINE COUSTEAU is an environmental activist, storyteller, and author committed to sharing the vital message of interconnectivity between humans and the natural world. She implements this vision through film, art, consulting with corporations and foundations, public speaking, writing, and her podcast. Céline is the founder and executive director of CauseCentric Productions creating impactful, cause-focused content. She has directed, produced, and hosted over 20 films internationally. In 2020, Céline’s first feature documentary, Tribes on the Edge, received U.S. distribution with Gravitas Ventures. Tribes on the Edge follows Céline as she returns to the Brazilian Amazon after a fateful email from Beto of the Marúbo tribe beckons her back to help tell his people’s story. Céline ventures into the heart of the jungle to explore the health crises and the threats to land and human rights of the Indigenous Peoples of the Vale do Javari, expanding the view to how this is relevant to our own lives. Building on the film’s momentum Céline co-founded The Javari Project, a non-profit that implements tangible actions for the Indigenous Peoples of the Javari through three initiatives: Health, Biodiversity Analysis, and Alternative Livelihoods. Also catalyzed by the film, and in partnership with the College of William and Mary’s Institute for Integrative Conservation, Céline is developing an education program focused on the theme of Interconnectivity informed by the Marúbo tribe of the Javari. In 2021 Céline partnered with Augmented Island Studios’ AR/VR team to found Augmented Island Green Ventures (AIGV). AIGV leverages the potential of augmented and virtual reality for impactful storytelling to help educational institutions, non-profit organizations, corporations, and governments develop AR and VR applications focused on environmental sustainability. Continuing the expansion of creative storytelling, Céline is developing Jungle, an immersive experience pushing the boundaries of blended reality. Jungle will bring the visitor into the heart of an Indigenous village to build the community, trek through the jungle to find food, and finally immerse themselves into a meditative scene that aims to question their own interconnection with the world. These immersive activities will provide an active and contemplative experience, through which the visitors will learn about issues such as deforestation, the role of Indigenous Peoples as forest guardians, and how our lives are interwoven as one. Project partners include Flow Productions, a Hong Kong based immersive event developer and Céline’s new venture AIGV. Céline is Planet ambassador for the TreadRight Foundation and on the board of directors of the National Aquarium in Baltimore. Her previous work has included being Guest Jewelry Designer for Swarovski and a member of the World Economic Forum Council on Oceans. Céline co-founded The Outdoor Film Fellowship whose mission is to empower the next generation of filmmakers, creatives, and activists to inspire change through leadership, film, and the arts. Céline’s first book Le monde après monde grand-père is published by Editions Fayard with a  second book scheduled for 2022.

Son of Aritana Yawalapíti and Tsimayu Kalapalo, TAPÍ YAWALAPÍTI was prepared from an early age by his grandfather Kanato Yawalapíti to be the chief of the Yawalapíti. He assumed this important role in favor of the indigenous peoples of the Xingu. He stayed in seclusion for two years, during which time he learned the various cultural sciences to be AMULAURURU (great chief). He became the main chieftain of the Yawalapíti, in the place of his father, and began to lead his people in the struggle to defend the rights of protection of land, forest, rivers, and other riches of nature. He brings together people from different tribes and makes them aware of the importance of preserving the environment and the sacred places of their ancestors. Chief Yawalapíti promises that he will always fight for the causes of the indigenous people and the preservation of the environment, which are fundamental to keeping their identities alive – songs, languages, dances, construction of traditional houses, body paintings, manufacture of utensil instruments – and survivals of the people who inhabit Forest. In addition to his work as AMULAURURU, Tapí has ​​a degree in Linguistics, Speech Therapy and Grammar from the University of Brasília.

KIETH MERRILL is an American filmmaker who has worked as a writer, director, and producer in the film industry since 1967. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Directors Guild of America, and received an Academy Award for “The Great American Cowboy” and a nomination for “Amazon”. Kieth Merrill created a new cinema genre: Destination Cinema, and produced and directed 12 IMAX movies about top tourism destinations in the USA and other countries, including the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Alamo, Polynesia, Yellowstone Park, Ozarks Park, Valencia Spain, San Francisco, Zion Canyon, Nagano Japan, and many others. He directed and produced the first IMAX movie about the Amazon, “Amazon”, also nominated for an Academy Award.