Waste Land

Nominated for a 2011 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. 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 worlds largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. There he photographs an eclectic band of catadores - or self-designated pickers of recyclable materials. Muniz's initial objective was to paint the catadores with garbage. However, his collaboration with these inspiring characters as they recreate photographic images of themselves out of garbage reveals both the dignity and despair of the catadores as they begin to re-imagine their lives. Walker (DEVILS PLAYGROUND, BLINDSIGHT, COUNTDOWN TO ZERO) 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.

Director: Lucy Walker
Producer: Angus Aynsley
Producer: Hank Levine
Actor: Fabio Ghivelder
Actor: Isis Rodrigues Garros
Actor: Jose Carlos da Silva Bala Lopes
Actor: Leide Laurentina da Silva
Actor: Magna de Franca Santos
Actor: Sebastiao Carlos Dos Santos
Actor: Suelem Pereira Dias
Actor: Valter Dos Santos
Actor: Vik Muniz