Crossposted with www.theGreenGrok.
If the documentary Waste Land shows up in your hometown, see it.
The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival was held last weekend in Durham. For aficionados of the documentary "genre," being in Durham during the fest must be like being a kid in a candy shop. Over the course of four days, more than 100 documentaries are screened -- most of them in the city's historic Carolina Theater. Though I was able to catch only four of them, all were excellent.
Lucy Walker's
Waste Land
blew me away -- not just its moving depiction of art and humanity but the broader story of the garbage piles we generate, what we do with them, and the folks at the bottom of the heap who eek out an existence from the refuse.My favorite was
, produced by Angus Aynsley and Hank Levine, and directed by Lucy Walker, whose inspiration for the movie was in part sparked by a visit to New York City's mammoth
formerly the world's largest landfill. The film documents a two- to three-year effort to make art out of garbage -- that's right garbage and art.
At the story's center is Brazilian artist Vik Muniz, who likes to use "stuff" to create art.
At the beginning of Waste Land we learn that Muniz, originally from Sao Paulo and now living in Brooklyn, is about to embark on his new project: he will move to Jardim Gramacho, an outpost of Rio de Janeiro that's home to drug dealers, squalor, widespread poverty, and the world's largest landfill. His objective: to construct a new body of work -- from the dump.
But Muniz's artistic journey turns out to be about a lot more than art -- it also becomes about the workers he meets at the landfill: the pickers.
In addition to the truck drivers dumping the refuse and myriad birds scavenging through it, the landfill is both stomping ground and workplace for a multitude of wanderers who sift through the rubbish to pick material for recycling.
Magna De Franca Santos (center), featured in Lucy Walker's documentary Waste Land (see photo above), fell on hard times when her husband lost his job. Her fellow bus passengers may turn their noses up at her, but she tells them at least she's not turning tricks on Copacabana. Pictured here with a fellow picker (l) and the artist Vik Muniz (r), who describes Rio de Janeiro as St. Tropez surrounded by Mogadishu.
The pickers live desperate lives, and yet they're articulate, intelligent, often cheerful and they have hopes and dreams much like the rest of us. Many once lived comfortable, middle-class lives, but some catastrophic event -- the death of a parent, the explosions of an abusive spouse -- led them to their job at the landfill.
We learn that the pickers have their own union and take pride in their work.
One of the pickers, Valter (see slide 10 in the film's online gallery), points out that by removing the recyclable items, they're reducing pollution and the dumping ground's burden of stuff. Even recycling just one of 100 bottles is good, because, in Valter's words, "99 is not 100." (At the end of the movie we learn that Valter died of lung cancer during the film's shooting.)
The intersection of Muniz's creativity and the pickers' participation in his creative process is fascinating; so is watching how the experience changes the lives of both Muniz and the pickers.
The underpinning backstory also comes to life: the story of the oceans of garbage societies generate, what we do with these islands of trash, and the folks literally at the bottom of the heap who eek out an existence from all the refuse.
As an audience member, I was blown away watching Muniz weave together garbage and people, photography and trompe l'oeil into stunning works of art. (See examples on the movie's Web site.)
I was also moved by the way Walker layered together the themes of art, human hope and striving, social justice, and the environment into a moving and memorable film. See it if you can ... mon frère.
- Waste Land won the Full Frame Audience Award and the World Cinema Audience Award at Sundance.
- Don't mistake the "sci-fi/adventure" movie WasteLand (that's presumably "coming soon" to a theatre near you) for the documentary Waste Land.
For more, check out the
.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.