Waste Land

Waste Land is a touching documentary about an art project by Vik Muniz. The majority of this film takes place in the largest land-fill in the world (right outside Rio De Janeiro, Brazil).  When watching, one observes the horrible conditions and realities of this impoverished area. Working the landfill are individuals known as "pickers" who separate recyclable waste from garbage. Vik photographs the pickers and later has them reconstruct these photos using the waste they have collected. The idea behind his project is to sell the finished work (in photographed form), and to give the proceeds to the "pickers". This movie beautifully depicts the stories of these individuals. It is touching to see how moved they are by Vik's efforts.
The intentions for my WISE project are similar to those shown in Waste Land. This film was uplifting, because it showed that art can truly raise awareness, and in someways change people's lives.