Global Perspectives Film Series, WASTE LAND

Join Meridian International Center and ITVS for the Global Perspectives Film Series featuring WASTE LAND

6:30 PM Film Screening

Discussion to Follow with
Dr. Curtis Sandberg
Vice President for Arts and Cultural Programs, Meridian International Center

Philippa Hughes
Founder and Creator, The Pink Line Project

Filmed over nearly three years, Waste Land follows renowned artist Vik Muniz as he journeys from his home base in Brooklyn to his native Brazil and the world's largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. There he photographs an eclectic band of ʺcatadoresʺ - or pickers of recyclable materials. Muniz's initial objective was to ʺpaintʺ the catadores with garbage. However, his collaboration with these inspiring characters as they recreate photographic images of themselves out of garbage reveals both dignity and despair as the catadores begin to re-imagine their lives. Director Lucy Walker (Devil's Playground, Blindsight) has great access to the entire process and, in the end, offers stirring evidence of the transformative power of art and the alchemy of the human spirit. 2010 Audience Award Winner for World Cinema Documentary, Sundance Film Festival. Academy Award Nominee for Best Feature Documentary.