The Salt of the Earth

Veteran filmmaker Wim Wenders excels at creating documentary portraits of fellow artists, as in his Buena Vista Social Club and Pina, the latter of which in particular exemplifies his visual virtuosity and ambition.

That virtuosity is on display again in this powerful and at times awe-inspiring homage to the Brazilian photographer Sebastiaõ Salgado, whose instantly recognisable black-and-white photographs have documented scenes of great suffering as well as great beauty around the globe.

In collaboration with Salgado’s son, Wenders carefully chronicles all of Salgado’s major projects, from his shocking images of war and genocide to those celebrating the grandeur of the natural world. But the film is also much more than a photographic catalogue, probing the personal motivations behind Salgado’s lifelong, worldwide vocation.

Please note, this film contains images of dead bodies.

There was a special preview screening of the film on 14 July.

The Salt of the Earth, dir. Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, Wim Wenders, France/Brazil/Italy 2014, 110 mins., English, French and Portuguese with English subtitles.