Landfill Harmonic
Ajyal Competition
Brad Allgood, Graham Townsley / Feature Documentary / United States of America / 2015 / 84 min / Colour / DCP2K
In English, Spanish / English subtitles
Interests: Documentary, Music
MENA Premiere
Synopsis
The Paraguayan capital city of Asunción produces 1,500 tonnes of garbage daily, which it dumps in a landfill in the small town of Cateura. To eke out their meagre subsistence, the families here sort through the trash, collecting recyclable materials to sell. The young people living in the town have had few viable options for the future besides working in the dump; this cycle of poverty has appeared endless – until now.
When Favio Chavéz came to work in Cateura, he began to offer free music lessons, but it quickly became clear there were more hopeful students than available instruments in a place where a violin costs more than a house. Then, a brainwave hit and soon Colá, a local trained as a carpenter, began producing instruments with materials found in the vast expanse of the landfill.
Thus, the Recycled Orchestra was born. After dedicated practice and a few well-received performances, the group gained international fame, eventually even performing onstage with the likes of major rock bands Megadeth and Metallica. In a wonderful celebration of talent, hope and the soul-affirming joy of making music, ‘Landfill Harmonic’ tracks the astounding rise of a community youth orchestra that was given the opportunity to make its mark on the world.
Credits
- Director
- Brad Allgood, Graham Townsley
- Producer
- Juliana Penaranda-Loftus
- Editor
- Brad Allgood
- Associate Producer
- Natalie Irby, Jennifer Tocquigny
- Executive Producer
- Alejandra Amarilla, Rodolfo Madero, Belle Murphy
- Music
- Michael Levine
- Cinematographer
- Neil Barrett, Tim Fabrizio, Brad Allgood
- Sales Company
- The Film Collaborative
- Production Company
- Meeta Films, Bella Voce Films, Eureka Productions, Hidden Village Films
- Cast
- The Recycled Instruments Orchestra of Cateura