Salero Festival Premiers

Festival teaser for Salero, directed by Mike Plunkett.

If you go back throw my blog you'll see I spent a lot of time in Bolivia working on a feature doc (untitled at the time). Well, the film is finished and starting to make the festival rounds. It premiered at IDFA (International Documentary Festival Amsterdam) last fall, and now has two major US premiers. It will be making its West Coast premier at the San Francisco film festival and its east coast Premier at Full Frame! Below is a short write up from the San Francisco catalogue:

"Moises Chambi Yucra and his family stand at the crossroads of time. For generations, they have has made a humble living harvesting salt from Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat, but beneath Uyuni sit massive amounts of lithium, a mineral instrumental in powering smartphones and electric vehicles. With stunning cinematography that captures both the vibrancy and the solitude of the land and life, director Mike Plunkett captures the final days of an age-old way of life."

More info and screening dates @ www.salerofilm.com/

San Francisco International Film Festival 2016 April 21 - May 5
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival 2016 Durham, North Carolina April 7 - 10
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) 2015 November 19 - 28

Credits: Directed by MIKE PLUNKETT
Featuring MOISES CHAMBI YUCRA
Edited by ANDREW BLACKWELL and PAX WASSERMAN
Composer ADAM BRYANBAUM WILTZIE
Director of Photography ANDREW DAVID WATSON
Co-producers AARON RABIN and NOAH BLOCK-HARLEY
Executive Producers PHILIPP ENGELHORN, MICHAEL RAISLER and PAUL MEZEY
Produced by ANNA ROSE HOLMER, ANDREW GOLDMAN and MIKE PLUNKETT

SUPPORTED BY:
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur
Foundation San Francisco Film Society Documentary Film Fund
New York State Council on the Arts
Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund
Tribeca Film Institute
Independent Filmmaker Project Paley Center for Media in Association with Snagfilms

Bolivia! (Again!)

I spent another few weeks this past May/June down in Bolivia working on the Feature Doc Charge. Bolivia, what can I say. Its really like nowhere else I have been. It really is the closet thing to a modern day wild west. It was really interesting being back a second time. Despite being bitten by fire ants on my first trip and getting violently ill on BOTH trips, I still think its a pretty amazing place and can't wait to go back (one more trip is in the works).

Once again we took two RED packages and a set of super speeds down (+ 7 other cases of gear). I gotta thank my best bud, adventure buddy and wonderful AC Nick for a killer job (he is the handsome fellow in most of the photos).

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Morning cloud coverage over La Paz.

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Redeye flight + altitude adjustment from airplane to 14,000 feet = Making it very difficult to count light stands (rental house, La Paz)

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Union Hall walk up. Felt like NYC.

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This is nearly 14,750 feet above sea level.

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We shot a lot of establishing shots on 8 meters of dolly track. Badass.

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Mike (director / awesome dolly grip), Me (DP), and Yve (sound women / one of the best all around crew members!)

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Nick and Mike.

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Nick on a mountain top over looking the city of Cochabamba.

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Yve and our 100mm macro!

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Amazon Basin!

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We filmed in a coco market. Probably one of the most interesting locations I have ever worked in.

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Then we shot in a church. Bolivia gets weird.

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Working on the Altiplano (14,000 ft plateau outside of La Paz) with Illimani in the background.