Araya
Salt has been harvested in the Araya lagoon in the northeastern part of Venezuela for centuries. Piled into enormous pyramids, it has become an integral part of the landscape.
Those who don’t toil in the saltworks, work in the fishing industry or are involved in one of the everyday routines that keep man alive.
When you die in Araya, the grave is decorated with shells because flowers wouldn’t grow in the salty ground.
Araya is a breathtakingly photographed black and white film that enters into a mimetic relationship with the landscape and the human body.
It can, however, also be seen as a physical tale about the forever unresolved contrast between lights and shadows, the observer and the observed, camera and subject. (Berlin Film Festival)