Materia Prima

Synopsis

The new gold: Lithium! And the world’s largest reserves lie in the Bolivian Andes. As European diplomats and industrial giants race to gain access to the raw materials needed for the West’s green transition, Bolivian civil society, led largely by women, is mobilising against a new wave of extraction that carries old colonial patterns with it.

Through an observational approach that brings together different perspectives, the film examines the divide between the Global North’s vision of a green future and the reality faced by farmers, herders, and miners living with the effects of industrialisation. At its heart lies a troubling question: Can the pursuit of a more sustainable future avoid reproducing the same old systems of exploitation?

Director Biography

Jens Schanze

Documentary filmmaker, writer, and cinematographer. His long-term observational works focus on complex ethical and social issues. In 2002, he co-founded the production company Mascha Film with Judith Malek-Mahdavi, which has since served as the creative base for many of his projects. Since 2019, he has been Professor of Film Design at the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (THD), where he teaches filmmaking with a focus on both technical practice and ethical storytelling.

Credits

Cinematography / Sinematografi

Börres Weiffenbach

Editing / Kurgu

Ulrike Tortora

Music / Müzik

Atena Eshtiaghi

Sound / Ses

Claudia Leder

Production / Yapım

Jens Schanze, Thomas Tielsch