“Wasteland” (2010)
Directors: Lucy Walker, Joao Jardim
Country: Brazil
Run time: 138 minutes
Languages: Portuguese, English (English subtitles)
Filmed over nearly three years, the film follows renowned artist Vik Muniz as he journeys from Brooklyn to his native Brazil and the world’s largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho outside Rio de Janeiro, to collaborate with a lively group of catadores of recyclable materials, leading them to the most prestigious auction house in London via the transformation of refuse into contemporary art. The film, a classic in environmental and poetic filmmaking, premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and went on to be nominated for the Academy Award for best documentary. It has won over 50 other film awards.
