POLLUTING PARADISE

Synopsis

The mild moist breeze sweeping in from the Black Sea feeds the evergreen, precipitous land that its inhabitants have transformed into a garden: A carpet of lush green, round tea bushes stretching out between pines and rhododendrons; the livelihood of the 1700 inhabitants of Camburnu. For generations the village in the northeast of Turkey has lived on tea cultivation on the slopes and fishing in the sea. But this peace has been threatened since the government decided to build the largest garbage dump of the eastern Black Sea region in an area located above the village. ”Our village is being sacrificed,“ says the mayor. He fears that soon no one will want to buy any more tea or fish from Camburnu, because the garbage dump above the village will poison the ground water and pipes will flush the waste into the sea. The government in Ankara is famous for its fast and effective solutions.
But at what price? The village's lawyers are fighting in the courts, because the construction of the landfill in the commercial and residential landscape also violates Turkish laws. And the local people are taking action to defend their rights. Women besiege the governor’s car and block the bulldozers’ access to the site. They are the heroes of the resistance. Director/producer Fatih Akin came to Camburnu in 2007 to shoot the final scenes for THE EDGE OF HEAVEN. That’s when he discovered the paradise that was being polluted.

original Turkish version with English or German subtitles available

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Seal of Approval 'highly recommended' and Film of the Month
Cannes - Worldpremiere

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