Open City Documentary Festival: Dark Skull

This screening is the UK premiere

Set amidst the harsh world of the Bolivian mining community, Kiro Russo’s docu-fiction hybrid tells the story of Elder who, following his father's death, is sent back to live with his grandmother in Huanuni, a small town in the country’s tin mining heartlands. His godfather, Francisco, finds him work at the local mining company. Soon Elder starts acting up, making trouble for Francisco by skipping work to go out drinking in the local dingy bars. His nocturnal wanderings eventually lead him to an unsettling secret relating to his father’s death.

Made in close collaboration with the miners' union and shot largely within the mines, Dark Skull is a murky, mysterious drama that deftly blurs the line between reality and fiction.

Dark Skull, dir. Kiro Russo, Bolivia/Qatar 2016, 77 mins