Experiencing Interruptions?

CHEESE INSTEAD OF URANIUM

Citizens of a medieval village in Portugal have made a decision that is an example for other communities in the world with valuable ore in the soil. Leave uranium in the ground.

Nisa, a beautiful village north of Alentejo in Portugal. At the mediaeval gates of Nisa there is a large uranium deposit, but the population has decided to leave the uranium on the ground in favor of sustainable development based on the region's natural products such as beef, goat and sheep, milk, cheese, sausages, hams and olives.

When mining companies became interested in the Nisa deposit at the beginning of the 21st century, the local movement „Urânio em Nisa Não” influenced the City Hall and the City council to declare that uranium exploration in the region will never be allowed.

„Keep it in the ground!“ is Nisa's powerful message. Sustainable use of above-ground natural wealth is more valuable than below-ground ore, which would provide only short-term money but would leave the region with no future. That is why Nisa and its movement „ Urânio em Nisa Não“ received the international „Nuclear-Free Future Award“ in 2012.

  • Norbert G. Suchanek
    Director
  • Márcia Gomes de Oliveira
    Director
  • Norbert G. Suchanek
    Writer
  • Márcia Gomes de Oliveira
    Producer
  • Norbert Gregor Suchanek
    Producer
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    DECISÃO PARA O FUTURO
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    21 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    November 1, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    2,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Brazil
  • Country of Filming:
    Portugal
  • Language:
    Portuguese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Italia Green Film Festival
    Rome
    Italy
    December 19, 2019
    Official Selection
  • Onyko Films Awards
    Odessa
    Ukraine
    Finalist
  • Tulum World Environment Film Festival

    Mexico
    August 24, 2022
Director Biography - Norbert G. Suchanek, Márcia Gomes de Oliveira

Norbert G. Suchanek was born in 1963 in Würzburg in Germany. Since 1988 he works as investigative environmental, human rights and science journalist, book author, photographer and filmmaker. In the 1980ies and 1990ies he researched in conflict regions like Northern Ireland, Palestine and West-Papua/PNG. Later he moved his focus on Brazil, its rainforests and indigenous peoples. Since 2006 he lives and works as correspondent and filmmaker in Rio de Janeiro - Marcia Gomes de Oliveira was born in 1970 in Rio de Janeiro. She graduated in Social Sciences at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFR), with a specialization in Environmental Planning. She also holds a Master's Degree in Legal and Social Sciences of the Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF). Her dissertation was about the Guarani Mbyá of Rio de Janeiro. Together with German journalist Norbert G. Suchanek she started filmmaking in 2006. Marcia and Norbert’s first documentary film together was selected by the 4th Artivist Film Festival in Hollywood 2007 and several other international film festivals.

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Director Statement

A tiny town in Portugal stood firm against the big uranium business! The citizens of Nisa have given the world an important example. Instead of short-term profit through uranium mining, they opted for a sustainable present and future based on the production of traditional and healthy food. Olive oil, great cheese and tasty bacon instead of uranium.