In Venezuela’s Guayana region, vast gold reserves lie beneath the moriche palms, also known as “trees of life”, drawing miners from across the land. Through the voice of a narrator, the film, which premiered in the International Competition of DOK Leipzig 2024, maps the intricate network of gold extraction and trade, questioning humanity’s exploitative bond with nature. Shot over thirteen years, it traces a restless, dreamlike quest for treasure.
Chris Gude
Chris Gude (New York, 1985) has made two previous films: ‘Mambo Cool’ (2013) and ‘Mariana’ (2017). They have shown at places like FIDMarseille, Viennale, Punto de Vista, Mar del Plata, Cartagena, Lincoln Center, Centre Pompidou, MALBA (Buenos Aires), Cineteca de Madrid, Cinemateca Nacional de Colombia, Museo de Arte Moderno de Medellín, the Museum of the Moving Image (New York). His new film ‘Morichales’ (2024) premiered at DOK Leipzig.