They Killed Sister Dorothy

Sister Dorothy Stang was killed in February 2005 on public rain-forest land sought by ranchers for timber cutting and cattle grazing.

Sister Dorothy had contended that the rain forest was protected federal land. She was shot six times at close range, including three times in the face, on a muddy roadside.

Her death brought international attention to the violent struggle between peasants and wealthy ranchers in the endangered rain forest, where she had lived for 30 years.

Narrated by Martin Sheen, the film received the Audience Award and the Competition Award at the 2008 South by Southwest Festival, where it had its worldwide premiere.

The film and its song "Forever", written and performed by Bebel Gilberto, daughter of Bossa Nova pioneer João Gilberto, were pre-selected for the Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature and Best Original Song, respectively.

At Bluecadet we liked working with clients who have social justice in mind, so the four of us jumped at the chance to create a companion site for the film.

The challenge for us was to convey both the horror of a murder and the haunting beauty of the rainforest Sister Dorothy died trying to protect, without overpowering the relevant information.

The solution: clips from the film that played behind the relevant site sections. The interaction between the text and video evoked the menace and atmosphere of the movie. Our final product was a stylish complement to the film, and in some small way, we like to think it raised awareness of the plight of the rainforest as well.

The release of the film and the new questions it raised prompted the arrest and conviction of the Brazilian ranchers who orchestrated the murder.

One rancher, Regivaldo Galvão, had been arrested before in 2005 but never prosecuted.

The film prompted a new look at Galvão’s land titles, which were mentioned by his lawyer during an interview in the documentary, and in 2008 a Brazilian judge ordered his arrest as part of an investigation into forgery.

Both Galvão and another rancher were sentenced to 30 years in prison.