Under Rich Earth

Ecuadoran farmers fight off violent attacks from militia men as they battle a Canadian mining company.

Malcolm Rogge / Canada / 2008 / 92 min

In the opening moments of Malcolm Rogge's unsettling and eye-opening Under Rich Earth, a group of small children point to some gun shells lying in the dirt at the edge of a rural road in Ecuador. Who put the shells there and why are matters of great contention and conflict. The former owners of the casings maintain that the incident resulting in their new roadside location never actually happened. But in the eyes of the people at whom the bullets were fired, the 2006 event is very real, representing the latest escalation of a decade-old fight over land, resources and environmental autonomy.

In the mid-nineties, a Japanese mining company secured the rights to extract copper in the northwest part of Ecuador known as Intag, one of the world's most environmentally threatened regions. Residents staged massive protests against the project, which ended in the burning of a mining camp and the departure of the company. But in 2002, despite an ordinance banning mining in the area, the Ministry of Energy and Mines sold the area's two mining concessions, which ended up in the hands of the Canadian company Ascendant Copper. More protests followed, and tensions were exacerbated by the hiring of outside companies that used intimidation to control the area. The conflict eventually peaked in the vicious confrontation that left those shells by the roadside.

Using revealing and startling footage, Rogge reconstructs what happened that day in 2006, and links the violent images to global economics. A display of front-line journalism at its best, the footage leaves little doubt of what actually occurred, yet the interpretations by the different parties, particularly those from the company that hired the shooters, provide a fascinating glimpse into corporate spin and the politics of globalization. An indictment of governmental largesse, environmental exploitation and corporate greed, Under Rich Earth is urgent and vital filmmaking in the spirit of past Festival favourites like Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance and Manufactured Landscapes. Emotionally gripping and politically motivating, Under Rich Earth exposes the truth – not just about what happened that singular day, but also about just how pervasive such stories are on our planet today.[from the TIFF website]

Under Rich Earth Trailer from Ezra Winton on Vimeo.

Credits

Awards & Festivals

Finalist – Lindalee Tracey Award
Official Selection – Toronto International Film Festival

HERE’S WHAT SOME CRITICS ARE SAYING ABOUT UNDER RICH EARTH:

“Magnificent… a thrilling and revealing portrayal of the search for justice.”
- Alberto Ramos, Signis (Brussels)

“Gripping and disturbing…”
**** Eye Weekly

“Gracious and uplifting.”
- NOW Magazine NNN

“Hair-raising…”
- Playback Magazine

“An outstanding work of hard journalism...”
- Michael Sauve, Canadian Film Programmers Blog

“A startling exposé… a graceful, well made vérité doc.”
- Marc Glassman, Classical 96.3FM

“Down to earth…without any bullshit”
*** AfroToronto.com

“Urgent and vital filmmaking in the spirit of favourites like Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance and Manufactured Landscapes.”
- Jesse Wente, programmer, Toronto International Film Festival

"Powerful... remarkable... dramatic..."
- Chris Cobb, Ottawa Citizen

“It’s impossible not to be intrigued...”
- David Schmeichel, Winnipeg Sun

“While so many documentary filmmakers can only capture the aftermath of a big event, Toronto’s Malcolm Rogge had the advantage of being right in the thick of the action when a dispute between heavily armed representatives of a Canadian mining company and a group of Ecuadorean farmers and eco-activists very nearly turned deadly in 2006. At stake was the fate of farmland that would likely be ruined if mining concerns had their way. Gripping and disturbing, Rogge’s Under Rich Earth reveals the extent to which corporations (yes, even Canadian ones) are willing to go to get what they want, as well as the determination and savvy that is required of those who oppose them”

- Jason Anderson, Eye Weekly ****

“Unarmed and unprotected, the poor farmers in a tiny mountain community in Ecuador face down and detain armed mercenaries hired by Canadian mining company Ascendant Copper. Canadian documentary maker Malcolm Rogge caught some amazing footage to build a story about corporate malfeasance and how the undertrod overcame the superior forces of might, money and political manipulation.”

- Susan Walker, Toronto Star

Film site & Reviews

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