Exhausted Workers, Booming Elites and a Shattered Earth

This film series explores representations and realities of extractivism in Latin American fiction and documentary cinema, focusing on how films portray workers’ and communities’ daily lives and struggles, the industry’s socio-environmental impacts, and the structures of inequality that extractivism sustains. The selected films provide a historical overview of extractivism in the region, tracing both its enduring patterns and its evolving role in different national contexts. Through screenings and discussions, this event aims to foster interdisciplinary dialogue among scholars, filmmakers, and activists.

This event is co-convened by Sandra Rodríguez (UCL) and Gianfranco Selgas (UCL), with the support of UCL Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS) Octagon Small Grant Fund, UCL Institute of the Americas, and UCL School of European Languages, Cultures and Societies – Centre for Multidisciplinary and Intercultural Inquiry (SELCS-CMII)