The Good Life
(La buena vida)
Jens Schanze | Documentary
2015 | 97 minutes | Germany, Switzerland
Jairo Fuentes, a charismatic young Wayúu leader, fights to protect his community from displacement caused by the El Cerrejón coal mine's rapid expansion.
Synopsis
The village of Tamaquito lies in the forests of Colombia. Here, nature provides the people with everything they need. But the way of life of the Wayúu is being destroyed by the vast and rapidly growing El Cerrejón coal mine. Determined to save his community from forced displacement, the young and charismatic leader Jairo Fuentes sets out to negotiate with the mine’s operators. They’re backed by powerful global resource companies such as Glencore, Anglo American, and BHP Billiton, and communicating with their representatives isn’t easy. The villagers are promised the blessings of progress, but the Wayúu place no value on modern, electrified houses – on the so-called better life. Instead, they embark on a fight to save their life in the forest, which soon becomes a fight to survive.
Citation
Main credits
Schanze, Jens (film director)
Schanze, Jens (screenwriter)
Other credits
Cinematography, Börres Weiffenbach; editing, Bernd Euscher; music, Victor Moser, Rainer Bartesch.
Citation
Cataloging
Pragda subjects
Anthropology
Economics + Social Class Issues
Environment + Sustainability
Indigenous Peoples
Latin American Studies
Mental Health
Political Science
South America
Keywords
Clips
Festivals
FReDD Festival Toulouse - Grand Prix du Festival; Gdańsk Documentary Film Festival - Grand Prix, Gate of Freedom Award; Boston Latino Film Festival - Best Documentary; EFA Documentary Selection for the European Film Awards - European Documentary; Bavarian Film Award - Best Documentary; FICCI Cartagena; Visions du Réel; Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital Washington DC
DIRECTOR: Jens Schanze
NATIONALITY: Germany, Switzerland
YEAR: 2015
GENRE: Documentary
LANGUAGE: Spanish; English; Wayuu; Indigenous languages
COLOR / B&W: Color
GRADE LEVEL: Upper Elementary School, Middle School, High School, College, Adults
SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE
AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE
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