An investigative documentary made by recent graduates from the University of B.C. masters degree program in journalism has resulted in arrests in connection to the slaying of a Brazilian native leader.

Grads Calyn Shaw and Sam Eifling were among the students who had travelled to Brazil to gather information on the story of the conflict between indigenous tribes and farmers who want to develop the native’s ancestral lands.

The film tells the story of the shooting of Nisio Gomes, 59, a leader of the Guarani people of southeastern Brazil. Gomes was shot by a group of masked gunmen who stormed a native encampment in November 2011.

Only weeks after the documentary aired, authorities have taken 18 people into custody as part of the homicide investigation, as the CBC’s Deborah Goble reports.