THE WHITE TREASURE and the salt workers from Caquena

"THE WHITE TREASURE and the salt workers from Caquena" is a documentary film and diploma project from Filmacademy Baden-Wuerttemberg.
We have been celebrating the premiere of our film in the International Programme of film festival DOK Leipzig in October 2011. The festival journey is now continuing; we´re glad about "THE WHITE TREASURE" receiving film festival attention and are happy to have this opportunity to reach wide-spread audiences.
(more information about festivals: www.facebook.com/TheWhiteTreasure)

It is our concern now to show the film to the protagonists: We are planning to initiate a premiere in the small Aymara village of Caquena at the salt lake: Setting up a screen in a place where "Cinema" is unknown, where people have had electricity and television for almost two years now, yet the "cinematic experience" is unimaginable, incredible and abstract.
It is important to us to do justice to our protagonists. We were allowed to join and film their work, routines, peculiarity and the magic about their lifes. That´s how we got the opportunity to show the villager´s microcosm and put it into a global context. We now feel responsible to share this film with them on big screen.
The salt workers and villagers are the protagonists. They´re the ones experiencing -silent yet, but global- interest in their lithium treasure.
To us it is about sharing with Daniel, his school mates, family, relatives, village neighbours and his community THEIR film, their story.

We´re aiming at YOU, if you share our passion for compelling documentary films.
YOU if you believe, there is a need for a global awareness for sustainability.
And - if you want to support us taking the villagers from Caquena seriously and giving them a voice.
Our film is calm. But we believe, and have discovered in numerous conversations, "THE WHITE TREASURE" encourages individuals to independent thinking.
We, the team behind "THE WHITE TREASURE", see a first step of our responsibility in bringing this film "home". And stay with it when future happens.

It is worth to support our project, because it is important we as filmmakers don´t only capture pictures, stories and fragments of lifes. We have the opportunity to create attention to topics which need awareness.
To close the circle and not only act from the outside this film should be shown at the salt lake.
That´s how we can get those people involved who the topic is emerging from. And the villagers and salt workers from Caquena can experience they are given a voice.

After successful financing we´ll enable a film screening in Caquena in the north of Salar de Uyuni between July and August this year together with Milton Llerida .
Milton Llerida is leader of an Aymara initiative for educating local population for long-term
independent lithium mining at Salar de Uyuni.
For the film´s premiere we´re planning to go to Caquena with a screen, beamer and sound system in order to project "THE WHITE TREASURE and the salt workers from Caquena" via BluRay and 5.1-surround sound.
The projection would take place in the school court of the village, where Katharina (director and cinematographer) and Robert (1st assistant camera and sound engineer) have been teaching English to the kids from the village during the research and shooting period and built up a close relationship to the school´s cook and her husband, the school´s caretaker.
Following a premiere in the salt worker´s village Caquena, we plan to travel to further places around the Salar, in order to show the film to as many local people as possible. Many of these places have been important spots during out shooting already.

Find out more about our film route around the Salar here:
http://maps.google.de/maps/ms?msid=203254666282414465697.0004bb8358b49787c5c8e&msa=0&ll=-19.993998,-67.911987&spn=1.344707,2.079163