Magaly Solier, Star of Oscar-Nominated THE MILK OF SORROW
In the "Visually Sublime" ALTIPLANO
American Theatrical Premiere Set for August 20, 2010
At New York's Village East Cinema
Followed by Los Angeles on October 1 at Laemmle Music Hall
"Powerful, visually sublime... A beacon of contemporary auteur cinema
and a universal piece of art." -Le Soir (FRANCE)
 High in the majestic Andes of Peru, silent but deadly traces of mercury remnants of long-ago silver mining bring illness and death to a local village. Seeking retribution, the villagers mistakenly attribute the outbreak to Western doctors who work in the nearby mountain clinic.
Two women -- the fiancé of a villager killed by mercury poisoning and the wife of a doctor killed in the villagers' protest-turned-riot -- are brought together in this haunting and ravishingly beautiful film about our divided yet inextricably intertwined world.
Magaly Solier, star of the Oscar-nominated THE MILK OF SORROW, plays Satumina, a young woman who takes dramatic measures to protest the violation of her homeland after her fiancé is killed by the mercury.
Jasmin Tabatabai plays Grace, a war photographer who journeys to the Andes village to try to understand why her husband - a doctor working to help local indigenous peoples - was murdered by the people he swore to aid.
Filmmakers Brosens and Woodworth have created a uniquely cinematic story that unfolds through a synthesis of symbolic imagery and fable-like story-telling, taking the viewer on a mysterious and meditative journey, something they feel is lacking in today's traditional cinema.
ALTIPLANO has so far won the Grand Prizes at both the Bangkok International Film Festival and the Virton Festival of European Cinema, and was an Official Selection at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival (Critic¹s Week).
BROSENS & WOODWORTH, Writers / Directors
Brosens & Woodworth - who enjoy going by their last names only - are an extraordinary filmmaking team. Their first feature KHADAK won 20 international awards, including the Lion of the Future award at the 2006 Venice Film Festival and was hailed for being ³one of the most powerful film meditations ever.²
Peter Brosens (Belgium, 1962) first visited Peru in 1984 where he studied the invasion settlements of Lima. From 1988 until 1990 he worked in Ecuador studying migration, and in 1992, he investigated protest suicides in the Andes (chronicled in his award-winning documentary EL CAMINO DEL TIEMPO). Between 1993 and 1999 Peter produced and co-directed his internationally acclaimed Mongolia Trilogy (CITY OF THE STEPPES, STATE OF DOGS & POETS OF MONGOLIA). Together, these innovative documentaries received 23 awards, were selected for 100 festivals and were distributed around the globe. In 1998 STATE OF DOGS won the Grand Prix at the prestigious Visions du Réel Festival in Nyon.
Jessica Woodworth (United States, 1971) studied classical theatre and literature at Princeton University. In 1994 she began working in television in Paris and then worked as a documentary researcher and news stringer in China for several years. Jessica obtained an MA in documentary from Stanford University, which brought her to Mongolia to direct a documentary short, URGA SONG. In 2000 she received a Fulbright grant from the US government for THE VIRGIN DIARIES, a documentary shot in Morocco, which was nominated for the FIPRESCI Award at the 2002 International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam (IDFA).
Praise for ALTIPLANO
"Set amongst the majestic beauty of the high Andes in Peru, Altiplano is ambitious, visually striking and thought-provoking. Cinematographer Francisco Gózon captures breathtaking images."
-Screen Daily
"Its unique combination of visual grandeur and impressive music is reminiscent of Tarkovski and Terrence Malick." -Metro (UK)
"Evocative, lyrical." -Variety
"Blindingly beautiful, exhilarating, soul-lifting and incredibly moving.
Altiplano transcends all genres, models and labels and cannot possibly be compared to any other film. Images, music, soundscapes, dialogues and performances melt together into a monumental oratorio. ALTIPLANO offers a mighty, awesome and enriching experience. A must-see!"
-Humo (BELGIUM)
"Exuberant filmic poetry from a reality richer than ours. Overwhelming." -De Filmkrant (GERMANY)
"A mysteriously beautiful film." -De Volkskrant (GERMANY)
"A uniquely rewarding cinematic experience." -The Bulletin (UK)
"Visually superb, ALTIPLANO offers a re-enchanted view of the world." -Amnesty International
ALTIPLANO, Drama / 109 min. / 35mm / Dolby Digital
Languages: Spanish, Quechua, English, French, Farsi
A 2009 Belgian-German-Dutch Coproduction
Directors: Brosens & Woodworth
Director of photography: Francisco Gózon
Story & Script: Brosens & Woodworth
Music: H.Górecki, R.Einhorn, V.Komitas, Ignatz, A.Redouane
Original music: Michel Schöpping
CAST:
Saturnina: Magaly Solier
Grace: Jasmin Tabatabai
Max: Olivier Gourmet
www.altiplano.info
www.villageeastcinema.com
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