Landfill Harmonic—a new documentary film about a Paraguayan orchestra whose members play on instruments made from garbage such as oil drums, water pipes, spoons, packing crates, and bottle caps—is being screened at several North American film festivals. The film has brought international attention to the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, Paraguay, whose musicians are children living in a slum next to one of South America’s largest landfills. The orchestra’s director is Favio Chávez, a local musician who together with a garbage picker from the landfill has made instruments for the slum’s children. Directors of the 84-minute film are Juliana Penaranda-Loftus, Brad Allgood, and Graham Townsley. Recent screenings have taken place at the Long Beach International Film Festival, San Diego Film Festival, and GlennFest Film Festival (California); Adventure Film Festival, Cine Latino film festival, and Mountainfilm World Tour (Colorado); Milwaukee Film Festival (Wisconsin); Chagrin Documentary Film Festival (Cleveland); and Calgary International Film Festival and Vancouver International Film Festival (Canada). More information about the film is available here.
Posted October 13, 2015
