The Burning Season (1994 film)

The Burning Season
Genre	Biography Drama
Based on	The Burning Season by Andrew Revkin
Screenplay by	William Mastrosimone Michael Tolkin Ron Hutchinson
Story by	William Mastrosimone
Directed by	John Frankenheimer
Starring	Raul Julia Carmen Argenziano Sônia Braga Kamala Lopez-Dawson Luis Guzmán Edward James Olmos
Music by	Gary Chang
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producer	David Puttnam
Producers	John Frankenheimer Thomas M. Hammel Grazia Rade Grazka Taylor
Production location	Mexico
Cinematography	John R. Leonetti
Editors	Françoise Bonnot (sup) Paul Rubell
Running time	123 minutes
Production company	HBO Pictures
Original release
Network	HBO
Release	September 16, 1994 (1994-09-16)

The Burning Season is a 1994 American made-for-television biographical drama film directed by John Frankenheimer. The film chronicles environmental activist Chico Mendes' fight to protect the Amazon rainforest. This was Raul Julia's last film released during his lifetime, premiering on HBO on September 16, 1994, five weeks before his death. The film was based in part on the 1990 book of the same name by journalist Andrew Revkin.

Plot

Chico Mendes was a Brazilian rubber tapper, unionist and environmental activist who was murdered in 1988 by ranchers opposed to his activism. The movie opens in 1951 with a young Mendes witnessing his father's interaction with corrupt ranchers who are exploiting peasants for their work. The bulk of the film then takes place between 1983 and 1988, showing Mendes' activism to preserve the Amazon rainforest, to his murder in a drive-by shooting by a disgruntled rancher waiting in the shadows.

Cast

• Raul Julia as Francisco "Chico" Mendes
• Carmen Argenziano as Alfredo Sezero
• Sônia Braga as Regina de Carvalho
• Kamala Lopez as Ilzamar
• Luis Guzmán as Estate Boss
• Nigel Havers as Steven Kaye
• Tomas Milian as Darli Alves
• Esai Morales as Jair
• Edward James Olmos as Wilson Pinheiro
• Roger Cudney as Reporter

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
1995	American Cinema Editors Awards	Best Edited Motion Picture for Non-Commercial Television	Françoise Bonnot and Paul Rubell	Won	[1]
	Artios Awards	Best Casting for TV Movie of the Week	Junie Lowry-Johnson	Nominated	[2]
	CableACE Awards	Movie or Miniseries	David Puttnam, John Frankenheimer, Thomas M. Hammel, Diane Batson-Smith, and Ron Hutchinson	Nominated	[3]
		Actor in a Movie or Miniseries	Raul Julia	Won [a]
		Directing a Movie or Miniseries	John Frankenheimer	Won
		Editing a Dramatic Special or Series/Theatrical Special/Movie or Miniseries	Françoise Bonnot	Nominated
	Environmental Media Awards	Made for Television Movie		Won	[4]
	Golden Globe Awards	Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television		Won	[5]
		Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television	Raul Julia	Won [a]
		Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television	Edward James Olmos	Won
		Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television	Sônia Braga	Nominated
	Humanitas Prize	PBS/Cable Television	William Mastrosimone, Michael Tolkin, and Ron Hutchinson	Won	[6]
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Made for Television Movie	David Puttnam, John Frankenheimer, Thomas M. Hammel, and Diane Batson-Smith	Nominated	[7]
		Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special	Raul Julia	Won [a]
		Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special	Edward James Olmos	Nominated
		Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Special	Sônia Braga	Nominated
		Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing for a Miniseries or a Special	John Frankenheimer	Won
		Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries or a Special	William Mastrosimone, Michael Tolkin, and Ron Hutchinson	Nominated
	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries	Raul Julia	Won [a]	[8]

Notes

1. Posthumous award.

References

1. "Nominees/Winners". IMDb . Retrieved April 3, 2019.
2. "1995 Artios Awards". Casting Society of America. October 11, 1995. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
3. Margulies, Lee (September 20, 1995). "HBO Leads the Pack With 89 CableACE Nominations: Television: Nods for 'Larry Sanders,' 'Dream On' push network ahead of Showtime, which garners 36". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved September 6, 2015.
4. "EMA Awards – Past Recipients & Honorees". Environmental Media Awards . Retrieved October 17, 2023.
5. "The Burning Season". Golden Globe Awards . Retrieved October 17, 2023.
6. "Past Winners & Nominees". Humanitas Prize . Retrieved October 17, 2023.
7. "The Burning Season". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences . Retrieved October 17, 2023.
8. "The Inaugural Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild Awards . Retrieved March 10, 2023.

External links

• The Burning Season at IMDb
• The Burning Season) at the TCM Movie Database
• The Burning Season: The Murder of Chico Mendes and the Fight for the Amazon Rain Forest (1990 Mendes biography by Andrew Revkin)