Filmed in the Andean Mountains in the traditional lands of the Atacameño, Aymara, and Calchaquí-Diaguita in Northern Chile and Northwest Argentina, ALTIPLANO takes place within a geological universe of ancestral salt flats, volcanic deserts, and colored lakes. Fusing earth with sky, day with night, heartbeat with mountain, and mineral with iridescent cloud, ALTIPLANO reveals a soundscape generated from infrasound recordings of volcanoes, geysers, blue whales, and more. Located at the heart of a natural ecosystem threatened by a century of saltpeter and nitrate mining practices, and now lithium, ALTIPLANO reveals an ancient land standing witness to all that is, was, and will be.

ALTIPLANO made its world-wide debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2018, and went on to be named one of TIFF’s Top 10 Canadian films that year, screening at cinematheques across the country. The film has had hundreds of engagements worldwide and has won multiple awards at festivals since its release.

UNDERGROUND MINES is curated and organized by Media City Film Festival Director, Oona Mosna and is an expansion of Media City’s Mobile Frames Residency Series. The project is an initiative that aims to establish ongoing “Free-Form Residencies” for artists working exclusively with analogue film.

35mm film stills courtesy/copyright: Malena Szlam. Production stills courtesy/copyright: Oona Mosna.