Waste Land (2010)

An uplifting feature documentary highlighting the transformative power of art and the beauty of the human spirit. Top-selling contemporary artist Vik Muniz takes us on an emotional journey ... See full summary »

Directors:

Lucy Walker, Karen Harley,

Stars:

Vik Muniz

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 21 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Vik Muniz	...	Himself

Storyline

An uplifting feature documentary highlighting the transformative power of art and the beauty of the human spirit. Top-selling contemporary artist Vik Muniz takes us on an emotional journey from Jardim Gramacho, the world's largest landfill on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, to the heights of international art stardom. Vik collaborates with the brilliant catadores, pickers of recyclable materials, true Shakespearean characters who live and work in the garbage quoting Machiavelli and showing us how to recycle ourselves.

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Plot Keywords:

garbage | rio de janeiro brazil | landfill | creativity | visual artist | 

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Taglines:

What happens in the world's largest trash city will transform you.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Brazil UK

Language:

English Portuguese

Release Date:

21 January 2011 (Brazil)

Also Known As:

Lixo Extraordinário

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$8,656 (USA) (5 November 2010)

Gross:

$187,716 (USA) (18 March 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Almega Projects, O2 Filmes

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Female garbage picker: It's better than during the day, there are less people. It's better than being out there, like a lot of people, prostituting yourself. We are working honestly.

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Connections

Featured in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #1.9 (2011)

User Reviews

A Must See Uplifting Documentary

The Brazilian artist Vik Muniz rooted in New York decides to make the difference and travels to Jardim Gramacho, the largest landfill of the world in the outskirt of Rio de Janeiro, with the intention to help the pickers to improve their lives using his art. Vik recalls an event when he was very poor and lived in Brazil. He tried to break up a fight between two men, and he was shot when he was walking to his car. Later the shooter gave him some money that allowed Vik to travel to USA.

Vik and his friend Fábio spend two years in Jardim Gramacho and get closer to a group of pickers of recyclable materials and takes pictures of them. He uses his talent to make art using recyclable material and photographs the results. Then he travels to London and sells one of the portraits in an auction. With the money, the pickers buy a truck, equipment and build a leaning center and a library. The pickers that worked with him leans how to improve their lives and leave Jardim Gramacho.

"Waste Land" is a must see uplifting documentary that shows another side of Rio de Janeiro unusual in the cinema: the lives of people that earn their lives honestly working in the greatest landfill of the world and how they could improve their lives with social investment.

Vik Muniz gives a lesson to our corrupt politicians that embezzle money that are dedicated to people of the lower classes and shows how it is possible to improve lives using the money properly. His humanitarian work should be publicized worldwide and specially in my country. Maybe in the future, the president and politicians would be outraged not with handcuffed corrupts but with the damage that corruption causes to our people. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Lixo Extraordinário" ("Extraordinary Garbage")