Mercancia is an honest, in-depth look at the production of coca paste in the Magdalena Medio area of Colombia. Avoiding preconceptions and two-bit moralism, Andrea Zambelli, far from the wealthy Western destinations of the final product, gives voice to the farmers, who live a particularly hard and dangerous life in the equatorial jungle, for whom growing coca plants is their only means of survival and for whom the problem of cocaine use/abuse is not their concern.
Mercancia
Genre
Documentary
Country
Italy
Year
2006
Duration
20'
Production Companies
Teleimmagini
Director's Notes
Director's Notes
«What struck me most was the difference between the role cocaine plays in the West and the dignity of the rural communities where it is made. I met farmers who have grown coca plants for over 15 years without ever having used cocaine and who consider cocaine abuse a typical vice of advanced societies».
Geographical areas and populations
Geographical areas and populations
A visual environmental guide showing the global health status and the transition of local crises to global emergencies, country by country, area by area, and continent by continent.
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.