“Débora, the Pantanal Adventurer” is a documentary series that follows a curious student from a local school on her journey to understand the transformations the world’s largest wetland has been undergoing over recent decades.
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Teaser - Debora, Pantanal Adventurer
Team
Sandro Kakabadze
Director & Producer
Team
Sandro Kakabadze
Director & Producer
Sandro Kakabadze is a documentary filmmaker originally based in São Paulo, Brazil.
He has directed over 70 short and medium-length films and regularly works in the Amazon, Pantanal and other remote regions of Brazil, as well as in Latin American...
Sandro Kakabadze is a documentary filmmaker originally based in São Paulo, Brazil.
He has directed over 70 short and medium-length films and regularly works in the Amazon, Pantanal and other remote regions of Brazil, as well as in Latin American countries. His first feature-length documentary, On the Edge of Gold, which tells the story of illegal gold miners, won awards at the São Paulo International Film Festival (Mostra) and the Ecofalante Environmental Film Festival.
Sandro often works independently, significantly reducing production costs. He films with a Canon C70 camera, pilots a DJI drone, and edits using Adobe Premiere Pro.
His clients include major Brazilian and international organizations and institutions such as MapBiomas, UNHCR Brazil, Skoll Foundation, Documenta Pantanal, Imazon, Freethink, Ipsos MORI, Coalizão Brasil, Instituto Arapyaú, HCor, among others.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Moscow State University and a Master’s degree in Documentary Filmmaking from Goldsmiths, University of London.
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Monica Guimaraes
Executive Producer
Team
Monica Guimaraes
Executive Producer
Mônica Guimarães is a producer and director working in the audiovisual and performing arts fields. She founded her production company in 2004. For 22 editions, she has served as Executive Producer of É Tudo Verdade – International Documentary
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Mônica Guimarães is a producer and director working in the audiovisual and performing arts fields. She founded her production company in 2004. For 22 editions, she has served as Executive Producer of É Tudo Verdade – International Documentary Film Festival.
She has directed stage productions and has acted in, produced, and co-produced documentary films, including 27 Scenes about Jørgen Leth, directed by Amir Labaki, and Ruivaldo, the Man Who Saved the Earth, directed by Jorge Bodanzky and co-directed by João Farkas. In theater, notable works include the direction and co-production of After the Rehearsal by Ingmar Bergman, as well as the production of The Desumanization by Valter Hugo Mãe, directed by José Roberto Jardim.
She is the managing coordinator of the Documenta Pantanal initiative.
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Ludmila Cabral
Editor
Team
Ludmila Cabral
Editor
Ludmila Cabral is an editor and audiovisual professional from Bahia, Brazil, and a member of APAN (Association of Black Audiovisual Professionals). She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Communication – Advertising from the Federal University
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Ludmila Cabral is an editor and audiovisual professional from Bahia, Brazil, and a member of APAN (Association of Black Audiovisual Professionals). She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Communication – Advertising from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and is currently pursuing a postgraduate degree in Cultural Project Management at the University of São Paulo (USP).
She works in production, editing, and audiovisual directing, and is co-director of the short documentaries PPL É QUEM (2024), DJnastia (2023), selected for the Black Audiovisual Week (2024), and Sobre Ruas e Intersecções (2023), finalist at Expocom Sudeste (2021) and selected for the 17th CineBH International Film Festival (2023). Her work focuses on the intersection of everyday experiences, art, and culture, with an emphasis on socially engaged and impactful creative projects.
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Budget
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Our Ask
The Pantanal is the largest tropical wetland in the world, one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth, and at the same time one of the most fragile. Yet outside Brazil, it remains largely unknown. With Debora: The Pantanal Adventurer, my motivation is to introduce the Pantanal to the world through the eyes and words of children.
Today’s children grow up surrounded by fast, fragmented information — social media, TikTok, and constant streams of content where complex ideas are often oversimplified or replaced by misinformation. At the same time, this generation will shape the future of our planet. This project is driven by the belief that children deserve stories that respect their intelligence and curiosity, while bringing complex scientific concepts closer in an accessible, engaging, and emotionally grounded way.
Rather than explaining science from above, Debora follows children’s questions. The series is told through young protagonists who meet scientists, engage with real research, and translate knowledge into their own words. By combining adventure, emotion, and science, the project builds a bridge between rigorous research and children’s everyday lives.
My personal connection to the Pantanal is deep. I have directed four documentaries in the region, addressing themes such as drought, wildfires, wildlife roadkill, and river sedimentation. These films revealed a central paradox: the Pantanal is one of the most preserved and animal-rich regions in Brazil, yet also one of the most vulnerable. As a wetland dependent on seasonal waters, it is extremely sensitive to climate change, deforestation, and global warming.
This vulnerability is not abstract for local children. Fires, droughts, and disappearing waters are part of their daily reality. Debora herself experienced this directly: over the past five years, her school was nearly destroyed twice by wildfires and had to be evacuated on both occasions. These are lived experiences that shape how children understand their environment and their future.
At the same time, Debora: The Pantanal Adventurer is also about joy, curiosity, and discovery. The series follows school-age girls and boys as they explore rivers, forests, and wetlands, observe animals, play, laugh, and share small adventures in one of the most biodiverse regions in the world. By mixing fun, exploration, and friendship with meaningful questions about nature, the project invites young audiences to learn through excitement, connection, and care.
