HOW TO GET AWAY WITH GREENWASHING
DIRECTOR: SAMUEL PIGOTT
An investigative journey into Chile’s booming private conservation industry uncovers ecological malpractice, human rights violations, and historical injustices tied to the privatization policies of the Pinochet Dictatorship. In a region notorious for violence against activists, a group of environmental defenders fight to safeguard their communities and find hope in the face of impunity.
PITCH + TEASER
ONLINE VOTING: FRIDAY, APRIL 11 • 10AM PT – FRIDAY, APRIL 25 • 11:59PM
SYNOPSIS
A for-profit nature reserve wins an award for conservation while its owner faces allegations of water theft and illegal mining. An elderly indigenous woman disappears after a disagreement over land with a nearby forestry company.
Two seemingly unrelated narratives reveal the enduring power and impunity of an elite landowning class rooted in the Pinochet dictatorship—an era marked by the violent privatization that dispossessed Indigenous and rural communities of their land in the 1970s and 80s. Today, the consequences of these policies are most evident in the Los Rios region of Chile, where land ownership has been concentrated into the hands of a few. Once known for its fierce guerrilla resistance to Pinochet, the region remains defiant. Here, communities continue to fight for justice and find hope amid Chile’s most contentious battle: the struggle over who controls land and water.
This film, a collaborative investigation between local organizers and international activists, brings to light a history of displacement, serious environmental crimes, and the complicity of private conservation in perpetuating historical injustices.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
As a biologist and first-time filmmaker, I am driven by a commitment to exposing the hidden costs of conservation. My work is grounded in the belief that environmental protection must be democratic—centered on the voices of those who live closest to the land. This film grew from years spent studying the intersection of ecology and human rights and an urgent question: Who gets to decide what “saving the environment” looks like?
Growing up in rural Indiana, I witnessed how corporate power can devastate local landscapes and livelihoods. That experience informs my investigation into the private conservation industry—a system that mirrors global patterns of land privatization and environmental injustice. My scientific background allows me to critically examine the ecological impacts, while my personal history fuels a commitment to elevating the voices of those resisting exploitation.
I approach storytelling through participatory filmmaking, working alongside communities to uncover truths often hidden from public view. This documentary blends investigative journalism, personal testimony, and archival research to reveal the systemic forces driving ecological and human harm. More than an exposé, it is a call to reimagine conservation—one rooted in equity, dignity, and collective power.
PROJECT INFO.
| LENGTH (MINUTES): | 90 |
| LANGUAGE: | Spanish, English |
| START OF PRODUCTION: | February 2025 |
| EXPECTED DELIVERY: | January 2027 |
| SHOOTING FORMAT: | Digital |
| SHOOTING LOCATIONS: | Chile, United States |
| TOTAL BUDGET: | $510,000. |
| PRODUCTION COMPANY: | Solid Ground Media |
| PRODUCTION COUNTRY: | United States |
| CONFIRMED PARTNERS: | |
| BUDGET GAP: | $450,000. |
| CURRENT PROJECT STATUS: | In production |
PITCH TEAM
SAMUEL PIGOTT
DIRECTOR
SAMUEL PIGOTT is a producer, director and biologist from Indiana whose work examines democratic forms of conservation. He places particular emphasis on community ownership of natural resources as a means of economic an environmental empowerment. He hopes to capture the nuanced relationships between people and land through his films. His work has been recognized by the Thomas J. Watson Foundation, Climate Week NYC 2024, as a 2024 DX Fellow at the Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival, and at the HUMAN International Film Festival 2025.
KARLA AMSTEINS
PRODUCER
KARLA AMSTEINS is a forestry engineer and producer from Panguipulli, Chile. She grew up in southern Chile, in the Los Ríos Region. She has primarily dedicated herself to water conservation and forest restoration from a biocultural perspective, integrating education, tourism, the arts, and sciences into various community and public-private programs and projects. She has worked as a community liaison, producer and fixer for academic researchers, institutions, corporations and collectives working in Mapuche territory.
