This Stolen Country of Mine

(Mein gestohlenes Land)
Marc Wiese | Documentary

2022 | 93 minutes | Germany, Ecuador

Recently assassinated journalist and presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio and the indigenous resistance exposed the Ecuadorian government's corrupt agreements that allow Chinese exploitation of local mines. 

Synopsis

Chinese mining in Ecuador’s mountains sets the stage for an epic battle between eco-guerrillas and a corrupt government in an intensely dramatic documentary.

This Stolen Country of Mine follows Paúl Jarrín Mosquera, who leads the indigenous resistance against the exploitation of their land. Meanwhile, China uses the Ecuadorian government to turn the country into one of its new colonies, having made the country dependent on credit through a series of corrupt and greedy treaties. When journalist Fernando Villavicencio exposes these plots and gets access to the contracts between China and Ecuador, the government wants him silenced too. Both men are fighting for freedom in this battle against a superpower.

Directed by award-winning filmmaker Marc Wiese, the film exposes China’s massive hunger for natural resources and how it has been aggressively operating to obtain access to these resources in Ecuador during the last decade. The country is now stuck with the most Chinese debts in Latin America.

* Spanish language audio description is available via the ALL4ACCESS App and/or .wav file when purchasing a DSL license.

Accessibility for these films was created by DICAPTA and funded under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education- Office of Special Education-OSEP, project “Enhanced Access to Video for Students with Sensory Disabilities through Emerging Technology,” TV Access H327C210001.

Reviews

"Using a combination of interviews, archive and heart-stopping frontline filmmaking, Marc Wiese follows the twin-pronged civil assault against the plundering of Ecuador, through the reporting of the dogged Villavicencio and through grass roots rebellions by the communities whose lands are being appropriated."
— Wendy Ede, Screendaily

“Elegantly made and with an evocative soundtrack by Alva Noto, This Stolen Country of Mine is a strikingly dramatic documentary about the consequences of globalisation and when a population rises up and protests.” – Mark Adams, Cineuropa

“A well-built and electrifying documentary about two heroes fighting against their corrupt government, who have brokered several disadvantageous loan deals with China. (...) Even though the film’s heroes face powerful opposition, the director creates a dynamic feeling that the forces of light will prevail in the end.” – Astra Zoldnere, Modern Times Review

Citation
Main credits

Wiese, Marc (film director)
Stoltz, Oliver (film producer)

Other credits

Cinematography, Wolfgang Held; editing, Marc Schubert; music, Alva Noto.


Citation
Cataloging
Keywords
economics,economic activism,south america,ecuadorian policy,ecuador,china,colonialism,exposing corruption,international relations,geopolitical corruption,natural resources,ecuadorian cinema,environment,environmental,environmentalism,climate,climate change,global warming,habitat,ecosystem,ecology,eco,earth,planet,water,sustainable,sustainability,deforestation,agriculture,green,green economy,economics,social class,money,capital,capitalism,class,economy,prejudice,intersectionality,inequality,poverty,income gap,wage gap,class warfare,elitism,snobbery,bourgeois,poverty,upper class,middle class,lower class,nouveau riche,anthropologically,cultural anthropology,forensic anthropology,anthropologist,human nature,physical anthropology,ethnocentric,ethnography,functionalism,cultures,societies,human people,human society,functionalism,globalization,ideology,pragmatism,dogmatism,social change,society,activism,activist,digital activism,advocacy,advocate,involvement,militancy,militant,logrolling,striking,boycotting,championing,champion,effecting change,engagement,supporter,protest,protester,demonstrator,organizing,labor organizing,revolution,revolutionary,community organizing,effecting change,striking,labor strike,labor organizing,labor studies,employment studies,workers rights,workers’ rights,organizing,labor unions,trade unions,unions,industry,employment law,working class,labor rights,labor equity,employment,union organizing,labor organizing,labor rights movements,employment rights movements,workers’ rights movement,workers rights movements,communications,journalism,news,information,media,new media,newspaper,newspaper,blogs,news site,news app,pulling string,gathering string,reporting,fourth estate,news media,journalists,journalist,reporters,reporter,indigenous peoples,indigenous people,indigenous,native,native people,native peoples,aboriginal people,aboriginal,aborigine,indigene,indigeneity,tribes,tribal,tribal people,tribal peoples,political science,micropolitics,macropolitics,political theory,political education,political movements,political thinking,political criticism,poly sci,polysci,political sci,political sciences,political history,history of politics,political systems,sociology,anthropology,psychology,sociological,sociological perspectives,conflict theory,human conflicts,sociological thinking,conflict perspective,topics in sociology,sociology topics,sociology studies,social studies,people and cultures,human relations,human relationships,cultural studies,culture studies ,south america,south american countries,countries in south america,argentina,bolivia,brazil,chile,colombia,ecuador,guyana,paraguay,peru,suriname,uruguay,venezuela,south american politics,south american culture,south american cuisine,south american education,south america in media,south american languages,south america history; "This Stolen Country of Mine"; Pragda Films; documentary; doc; sociss; env;
Clips
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Festivals

CPH:DOX - F:ACT AWARD Competition; DOK.fest München - DOK.Panorama; DocAviv - Beyond the Screen Competition; Al Jazeera Balkans Documentary Film Festival - Special Mention; DocsMX - Winner - Our America Competition; Winner German Documentary Film Music

DIRECTOR: Marc Wiese

NATIONALITY: Germany, Ecuador

YEAR: 2022

GENRE: Documentary

LANGUAGE: Spanish; Indigenous languages

COLOR / B&W: Color

GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School, College, Adults

SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE

AUDIO DESCRIPTION: AVAILABLE

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