The imaginative gaze of filmmaker Miguel Gomesbrings to the screen a fundamental text of Brazilian literature, Rebellion in the Backlands, Euclides da Cunha’s account of the 1897 war between the nascent Republic’s army and the native inhabitants of Canudos. This epic movie on the end of the symbiosis between humans and nature has faced major obstacles due to the complex political situation in Brazil, with a protracted pre-production phase that involves historical reconstruction of the village and close collaboration with the descendants of the Canudos. At present the production has been postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. by Daniela Persico