Compelling documentary  beautiful country

Powerful documentary giving the personal stories behind colonial-style resource extraction. In this case, a Canadian company strip-mining for gold in the Guatemalan highlands - but it could just as well be Peru, Congo, or any number of so-called "third world" countries who are on the receiving end of ecologic and cultural destruction in the name of global markets.

The main characters in this story are, appropriately, the local indigenous farmers who suffer directly - without adequate compensation - the destruction of their lands. But the documentary also gives historical background, including CIA jiggery-pokery from the 1950s, the American United Fruit Company, current Canadian corporate interests, and organizations trying to help bring some justice to those without a voice.

The countryside is beautiful and the native Mayan people are courageous. Those of us from "el norte" and, by extension, the entire "first world" - with our pension fund investments - should take a hard look at the real costs of development projects. 

An excellent, well-researched and thoughtful presentation - thankfully devoid of shouting heads and gotcha interviews.

The documentary is a form of non-fiction storytelling that aims to present factual information, insights, and perspectives on real-world subjects, events, issues, or people. Documentaries can cover a wide range of topics, including history, science, culture, social issues, nature, biographies, and more.

Dziga Vertov in Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

The drama genre is a broad category that features stories portraying human experiences, emotions, conflicts, and relationships in a realistic and emotionally impactful way. Dramas delve into the complexities of human life, often exploring themes of love, loss, morality, societal issues, personal growth, with the aim to evoke an emotional response from the audience by presenting relatable and thought-provoking stories.

Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)

Gold, an obsession of men and nations; a symbol of wealth and power. But for Diodora, Gregoria, Crisanta and the people living near the Marlin Mine in Guatemala's highlands, gold represents oppression, intimidation, pollution and even murder. With the rising price of gold, the mine's owner, Goldcorp, posts record profits, while these courageous women live in resistance to the mine's unstoppable hunger.

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