Salero
Description
Moises Chambi Yucra and his family stand at the crossroads of time. For generations they have made a humble living as saleros harvesting salt from Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat. The blinding-white high-altitude flat has survived the impact of the miners’ pickaxes, shovels and late-model trucks for a millennia, but beneath Uyuni sit massive amounts of lithium, a mineral instrumental in powering smartphones and electric vehicles. With stunning cinematography that captures both the vibrancy and the solitude of the land and life, director Mike Plunkett captures the final days of an age-old livelihood. His camera reveals a wisdom and peace of mind found only from working for years in pristine nothingness. Moises muses on existence and place, insisting, “The life of every person is already written.” But the tides of changing are pulling his small town of Colchani in a different direction. His wife’s aspirations in cosmetology can’t be fulfilled. Friends and family have left. His brother Nico abandons the salt mine to make money from newfound tourism. As an international airport, a new electrical grid and high-paying jobs emerge, Moises must scramble for a new life. —Nick Rahaim
Mike Plunkett is a New York-based filmmaker who has worked as a writer, director and editor for both film and television. His television credits include: Miami Ink, LA Ink, Makeover Train and Storm Chasers. Plunkett’s short films have also appeared at the Sundance Film Festival and on PBS. His short film Mary Mary was a finalist at the First Run Film Festival. Salero is his first feature-length documentary.
Trailer
//player.vimeo.com/video/157228612?autoplay=1Film Details
Language Spanish
Year 2015
Runtime 76
Country USA/Bolivia
Director Mike Plunkett
Producer Anna Rose Holmer, Andrew Goldman, Mike Plunkett
Editor Andrew Blackwell, Pax Wasserman
Cinematographer Andrew David Watson
Music Adam Bryanbaum Wiltzie