One of Raul Julia's final performances. For his role as Chico Mendes, he earned several posthumous awards (including Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG).
Robert Redford, a major environmentalist, tried to interest Steven Spielberg in directing this when it was first envisioned as a major theatrical release.
Tony Plana and Tomas Milian previously appeared in JFK (1991) and Havana (1990). The latter film has a supporting role by Raul Julia.
When this was set up at WB as a major prestige project, David Puttnam wanted Andy Garcia to play the lead.
Raul Julia and Sonia Braga also appeared in Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), Moon Over Parador (1988) and The Rookie (1990).