CERVINO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
6th edition
Breuil-Cervinia/Valtournenche, July 23rd-27th, 2003

THE COMPETITION

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

COME POLVERE DI FIUME (Like River’s Sand)
ITALY-SWITZERLAND, 2003, 29’, col., video
Director Adriano Zecca
Cameraman Adriano Zecca
Editing Giuseppe Palomba / Eloy Zecca
Production Televisione Svizzera Italiana - Adriano Zecca
Distribution T.S.I.

In northern Bolivia, on the river Tipuani, among the mountain rocks, goldmines were once very rich. The foreign mining enterprises abandoned these places, but local miners, gathered in co-operatives, have been continuing to work there. As gold price felt down during the 90s, their earnings today are poor. Hence the co-operatives try to spare money on everything: miners’ salaries and security measures. As a result, the number of accidents increases, with an average of 30 deaths per year. Severe bone diseases hit women and children who work on the river looking for gold. The hard work continues all the year, with no interruptions: only on the occasion of the Anniversary of the National Independence people do not work. During these three days, their problems seem to disappear, but then the daily routine begins again. The river Tipuani keeps on eroding mountain rocks, as well as people’s health and hope.
Today Chima, one of the two villages of the documentary, does not exist anymore. On March 30th 2003 an enormous landslide destroyed most of miners’ houses. A lot of men escaped the tragedy because they were working in the mine, but many women and children did not survive. Most of people you see in this documentary are tragically dead: only these sad images witness their existence.

DIRECTOR
Adriano Zecca was born in Milan in 1945. As a photographer and cinematographer, he has dedicated himself to the study of cultures of the Southern world. During his expeditions, he reported tradition, culture and history of many populations, sometimes unknown. In co-operation with RAI and Mediaset, he produced more than fifty documentaries of high social and anthropological interest. With the Swiss Italian TV he has been producing important documentaries on the most unknown regions of the world. His work The Ice Eldorado was awarded during the past edition of the Cervino Film Festival.

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Adriano Zecca