The Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia is the world’s largest salt flat. For generations, ‘saleros’ like Moises have harvested salt from this ethereal expanse of white.
Selling salt is becoming less and less profitable, but the flats hold other riches. So Bolivia’s leaders decide to mine lithium from beneath the salt crust. As infrastructure springs up, connecting the Salar to the outside world, one of the most secluded places on earth is thrust into the modern age. With progress seemingly unstoppable, Moises wrestles with his disappearing way of life.
Award-winning documentary Salero hones in on the region. The film screens on Wednesday, 19 April on Al Jazeera English.
Salero has been screened at some of the world’s most prestigious documentary festivals – including IDFA and Fullframe, winning Best Documentary and Best Director at RiverRun International Film Festival, where the jury praised the film “for its astonishing visuals, narrative acuity and ability to showcase characters that go against the grain.”
What people are saying
“Extraordinary… manages to bring us deeply into the lives of these intensely cinematic characters, witnessing their struggles and successes with equal parts wonder and awe.” Toronto Film Critics Association
“Mesmerizingly cinematic.” Fullframe Festival
“Stunning.” IDFA
“Breathtaking cinematography… an evocative score… not to be missed.” Human Rights Arts & Film Festival
What: Salero
When: Premieres Wed, 19 April 2017
Time: 8pm GMT / 9pm WAT / 10pmCAT / 11pm EAT
Where: Witness, Al Jazeera English’s documentary strand
Info: http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/witness/
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