Landfill Harmonic
| Landfill Harmonic | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by |
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| Story by | Alejandra Amarilla(story concept by) |
| Produced by | Juliana Peñaranda-Loftus |
| Starring | Ada Ríos, Jorge Ríos, Tania Vera Hertz, Idalina Hertz, María Ríos, Esteban Irrazabal, Nicolás Gómez, Favio Chávez |
| Cinematography |
|
| Edited by | Brad Allgood |
| Music by | Michael A. Levine |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | The Film Collaborative |
Release dates |
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Running time | 84 min |
| Countries |
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| Languages | Spanish, English, Guaraní |
Landfill Harmonic (stylized as landfillharmonic) is a 2015 documentary film directed by Brad Allgood and Graham Townsley.[1] It stars and tells the story of Paraguayan music teacher Favio Chavez and his Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, a children's orchestra in Paraguay which performs with materials recycled from a trash landfill near Asunción. According to The Huffington Post, "[t]he film is both an exposé on the harsh conditions of slum life and a commentary on the global threats of consumption and waste".[3]
Overview
[edit]The film details the founding and development of the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura.
When Luis Szarán and Favio Chavez came to Cateura, a landfill located in Asunción, Paraguay, to start a music school, they realized that they had more students than instruments. Thanks to the resourcefulness of Cola, a Cateurian garbage picker, an orchestra came together, now featuring violins, cellos, and other instruments artfully put together from trash. Now known as the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, the orchestra soon became independent. In 2012 it performed in Brazil and Colombia under Chavez's direction.[4]
Release
[edit]The film debuted on March 18, 2015.[5] In the United States, the film is shown on HBO.[6]
Reception
[edit]Ken Jaworoski of The New York Times gave the felt the film was "an inspiring tale" and the children involved in it were "wonderful to watch", though he criticized the interview style.[7] John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter called it "[a]n unlikely breakthrough story whose happy endings come with asterisks".[8]
This film was shortlisted for the Environmental Award at the 2015 Sheffield Doc/Fest documentary festival,[9] where it won a special mention.[10]
Awards
[edit]- 2015 Winner, Audience Award – “24 Beats Per Second”, South By Southwest Film Festival [11]
- 2015 Winner, The Moving Mountains Prize (third place), Telluride Mountainfilm Festival[12]
- 2015 Winner, Runner Up Audience Award for Best Feature Film, Illuminate Film Festival 2015
- 2015 Winner, Audience Award and Inspiring Lives Award, San Francisco Green Film Festival 2015
- 2015 Winner, Family Friendly feature Award, Maui Film Festival 2015[13]
- 2015 Special Mention, Environmental category, Sheffield Doc Festival 2015[14]
- 2015 winner, VIFF Impact: International Audience Award, Vancouver International Film Festival[15][16]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Landfill Harmonic [programme note]". Vancouver International Film Festival. 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Landfill Harmonic [programme note]". Doha Film Institute. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
- ^ "WATCH: An Orchestra Made From Recycled Trash". HuffPost. 2013-04-12. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
- ^ "Landfill Harmonic: A story of creativity, hope, and endurance [Interview]". Matador Network.
- ^ "Unofficial Guide to South By Southwest 2015: Landfill Harmonic". 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
- ^ "HBO TV Schedule". HBO.
- ^ Jaworowski, Ken (September 8, 2016). "Review: In 'Landfill Harmonic,' One Person's Trash Is a Child's Violin (Published 2016)" – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ "'Landfill Harmonic': Film Review | Hollywood Reporter". www.hollywoodreporter.com.
- ^ Mathiesen, Karl (5 June 2015). "Sheep, Mexican farmers and Shinto priests vie for green film award". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- ^ Rosser, Michael (10 June 2015). "'Syrian Love Story' wins Sheffield Doc/Fest prize". Screen International. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- ^ "SXSW Film Festival Announces 2015 Audience Award Winners" (PDF) (Press release). SXSW Film. 21 March 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
- ^ Katie Klingsporn (25 May 2015). "Mountainfilm 2015: Festival Awards". Telluride Inside... and Out. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
- ^ Sara Tekula (2015-06-08). "2015 Maui Film Festival Audience Award Winners Announced". Maui Film Festival. Retrieved 2015-10-20.
- ^ "Sheffield Doc/Fest 2015 Award Winners". Retrieved 2015-10-20.
- ^ "Brooklyn Wins VIFF Rogers People's Choice Award" (Press release). Jive Communications. 2015-10-09. Retrieved 2015-10-18.
- ^ Matthew Robinson (2015-10-10). "Mina Shum wins Women in Film Artistic Merit Award for Ninth Floor at VIFF". The Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on 2017-11-09. Retrieved 2015-10-19.