Malena Bystrowicz

Portraits of three women who live and work in the infamous mines of El Cerro Rico in Bolivia. Work inside the mines has been limited to men, while the women are forced to work outside searching for mineral scraps on the side of the mountain. The film highlights the women's strength, determination and resilience in the face of struggle and hardship.

General Mosconi is a small town in the North of Argentina, rich with oil and gas. 1993 the state owned enterprise, YPF, that gave work, health care and education to the whole region, was privatised. The unemployment rate climbed to 70 percent, the whole infrastructure system collapsed. The town is an example for what is today understood as the loss of state and politics.

Blanca and Patzi migrated from Bolivia to Argentina. They carry the lore of ancient history, the memory of a dream in Aymara, a mud brick house, the moon and the harvests. When they migrate, things change their name, their time, their place. The roots unfold in the dark tracing paths through the Earth. The community emerges in the city as a way to construct a possible present. Within the collective they weave their stories together with those of other women where they see themselves reflected and empowered. Two women, a shared journey that crosses more borders than the territorial.

The origins of the Piquetero Movement in Argentina. After successive neoliberal governments left the country with over 50% unemployment and the disappearance of entire towns, the first uprisings took place in 1996 and 1997. Women were the first to take to the streets and block roads with their children. This story is told through the voices of women from Salta (Mosconi), Jujuy (Ledesma), and Neuquén (Cutral Co).