Choropampa, The Price of Gold (Spanish: Choropampa, el precio del oro) is a 2002 Peruvian documentary film written and directed by Ernesto Cabellos and Stephanie Boyd in their directorial debut. The film tells of the struggle of the local Choropampa community to protect themselves from the large-scale exploitation of a gold mine.
Synopsis A large Mercury (element) spill by a gold mining corporation transforms a peasant village in Peru's Andean mountains into a site of civil resistance. A young mayor emerges to lead his people on a quest for healthcare and justice, but other interests thwart the villagers in this 2-year chronicle of the real price of gold.
Reception Robert Koehler of Variety wrote: "In the best tradition of docu cinema, Choropampa, The Price of Gold expands on the immediate events it covers -- the aftermath of a June 2000 spill of toxic mercury in the Peruvian gold-mining town of Choropampa -- to ask larger questions about corporate and government responsibility in Third World regions rich in natural resources but poor in material wealth".
Awards
YearAwardCategoryRecipientResultRef.2002Mar del Plata Film FestivalOCIC Cinematographic Post-Production AwardChoropampa, The Price of Gold2003Prague One World Film FestivalRudolf Vrba AwardChoropampa, The Price of GoldValladolid International Film FestivalBest DocumentaryChoropampa, The Price of Gold
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