Filming in the Pantanal 

This great wetland has been inhabited since the 16th century by the Guató people, indigenous people considered the "legitimate children" of the Pantanal. These people faced expulsion from their traditional land around 1940, but some of their traditions (such as hunting, fishing, canoeing and crafting household objects) are still practiced by the colonization survivors who reclaimed the area. Despite the resistance of the Guatós and other indigenous peoples who inhabit the Pantanal, the region has been increasingly modified by human causes and global warming, including fires, which have increased significantly since 2020 due to the decrease in environmental control in the country. 

In the great immensity of Brazilian biodiversity, this biome is another breathtaking landmark and deserves more international recognition. Filming in the Pantanal is the perfect choice for productions that seek to capture rare and extraordinary creatures exclusive to that environment; just like filming in the Amazon! Added to this is the strong presence of indigenous residents of the region (including the Guatós, the Guaikurus and some tribes of Guarani origin) who increasingly need to have their voices heard around the world.

In 2022, this ecosystem reached a new audience when it became the setting for Brazil’s  latest hit soap opera Pantanal on TV Globo — the most-viewed free-to-air TV channel in Brazil. It captured the imagination of the Brazilian public, adding to the region’s appeal as a backdrop for production companies in search of stunning settings.

Other internationally renowned productions to shoot in the Pantanal include the documentaries In Search of the Pantanal by Rick LaRocca and the National Geographic series Secret Brazil, with two episodes entirely dedicated to the biome: Wild Pantanal and Jaguar, the King of the Pantanal. The latter was a tribute to the Pantanal’s largest predator, which has been driven to near extinction in recent decades and is the focus of a number of conservation efforts. 

These recent productions focus on  the natural wonders of this wetland but there are plenty of underexplored aspects to the region, such as social conflicts, land exploitation, wildfires and climate changes in the biome itself, that hold huge potential for storytellers and documentarists. Read on to find out the top ten reasons why the Pantanal is rich in audiovisual potential.  

Whether for a soap opera, a documentary series, a commercial or a film, the Pantanal has a lot to offer. Want to know why? Let’s look at 10 reasons for filming in the Pantanal!