An expanse of sand dotted by rusting ship relics: this is the panorama from the shores of Lake Aral in Uzbekistan. The lake is now only one tenth of its former size, owing to a plan Nikita Kruschev launched in the 1950s to step up cotton farming in central Asia by deviating the course of the lake's two major inflowing rivers. Fishing and tourism, the former livelihood of the local population, have all but disappeared, displaced by a huge environmental disaster. Antonio Martino, who earned special mention for his Pancevo-mrvta grad at the 2007 CinemAmbiente, using historic footage and eyewitness accounts, documents the aftermath of a catastrophe and symbol of man's impact on nature.
Be Water, my Friend
Directed by
Genre
Documentary
Country
Italy, Uzbekistan
Year
2009
Duration
27'
Antonio Martino, Claudio Mazzanti
Production Companies
Videoinflussi produzioni
Languages
Italian
Water
Water
Pure from its source, uncontaminated and bottled in plastic, this essential element is both wasted and sought after like a treasure, too much or too little in a changing world.
Food on Film project
Partners
In collaboration with
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Creative Europe Media Program. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.