“The rubber boom built empires—and erased peoples.”

The Rubber Fever

Feature Film – Historical Drama 

Logline

During the height of the Amazon rubber boom, a ruthless tycoon’s empire is built on the near-extermination of Indigenous communities, until an unlikely alliance threatens to expose one of the greatest human rights crimes of the early 20th century.

Brief Synopsis

Set in the Amazon Basin at the dawn of the 20th century, The Rubber Fever explores the brutal reality behind the global rubber trade that fueled industrial progress in Europe and the United States. As fortunes are made in distant capitals, Indigenous communities—particularly the Huitoto people—are subjected to forced labor, torture, and mass killings under the regime of powerful rubber barons.

At the center of the story is the rise of a charismatic yet merciless entrepreneur whose operations stretch from the Peruvian jungle to London’s financial elite. When reports of atrocities begin to surface, a fragile chain of witnesses, intermediaries, and foreign officials risks everything to bring the truth to light—challenging imperial interests, economic greed, and global indifference.

The Rubber Fever is a historical drama about exploitation and silence, power and accountability, and the human cost hidden behind modern prosperity.

Stage of Development

Screenplay Revision / International Co-Production Phase

The project is currently in screenplay revision, incorporating historical research and narrative refinement.

We are actively seeking international partners worldwide, including:

  • Co-producers

  • Development partners

  • Cultural and historical institutions

  • Broadcasters, streamers, and sales agents interested in prestige historical cinema

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The project is open to development and production financing through international co-production, public funds, private equity, and institutional partnerships.

  • Yes. The film is conceived from the outset as an international co-production, inviting partners from Latin America, Europe, and beyond.

  • We are currently engaging in early conversations with sales agents and distributors interested in prestige historical cinema with strong international appeal.

  • The project is in screenplay revision, combining historical research with narrative refinement while building strategic partnerships.

  • The film addresses historical exploitation and Indigenous rights, themes that resonate strongly with contemporary global discussions on accountability and memory.

  • You can reach us anytime via our contact page or email. We aim to respond quickly—usually within one business day.

Black and white photo of ten Indigenous children standing outdoors in minimal clothing, with a rural background and simple structures behind them.
A historical photograph from London, 1912, depicting a courtroom scene with many seated men and a judge or speaker at the front. The background has wood paneling. Below the photo, there is text that reads "The Rubber Fever: Power. Profit. Silence." and "The Amazon Basin" with a landscape of river and trees at the bottom.

  • “Thousands of Indigenous people were enslaved, tormented, and murdered under the guise of rubber collection.”

    Mexican-Peruvian historical reporting — summarizing documented abuses of the rubber era.

  • “The Putumayo atrocities were one of the most horrific chapters of the Amazon rubber boom, marked by slavery, torture, and mass death of Indigenous communities.”

    — broad historical consensus on the period.

  • “It far exceeds in depravity and demoralisation the Congo regime at its worst.”

    Roger Casement (British human-rights investigator) — on the conditions in the Putumayo during his official investigation.

  • “The condition of things fully warrants the worst charges brought against the agents of the Peruvian Amazon Company and its methods on the Putumayo.”

    — from Casement’s report confirming Walter Ernest Hardenburg’s accounts.

  • “They forced Pacific Indians of the Putumayo to work day and night without pay, flogged them until their bones were visible, mutilated them, and burned them alive.”

    Hardenburg’s book (paraphrased testimony) — detailed survivor and witness accounts.

  • “The wealth of Iquitos cannot be separated from the blood of around 30,000 Indigenous people.”

    Modern reflection on legacy — on the genocide’s continuing imprint on regional memory.