The director Alejandro Quiroga and the producer Francisco Paparella presented the film "The Ones From Below" taking part in the Main Competition of the 45th Moscow International Film Festival.
The film tells the story of Gregorio, a farmer who lives in the small town of Rosillas. He decides to restore the water supply to a small canal owned by his family and drained by Colonel Iglesias, a rich Argentinian landowner living nearby, who conspired with the town mayor to support his own vineyard. In his struggle for justice, Gregorio has to face the negligence of utility services, widespread corruption, the economic power of the impassive social elite.
"When it comes to Bolivia, where I was born and grew up, many people think of a highland area, although I come from the part where there are many valleys. The film was made there, in Rosillas, where several generations of my family have lived. When I was there a few years ago, I found that everything had dried up, and I asked my relatives about the reasons. It turned out the people living higher had simply diverted the aqueduct, changed the water supply direction. And this is how I started thinking that geographic location greatly affects people and such a critical resource as water. People living higher have better access to all kinds of resources. And this is relevant not only about water, but also about the social and economic context. This idea became the starting point for a film focused on various problems. This includes the water supply problem, which, I think, affects not only Bolivia, but also many other countries", noted Alejandro Quiroga.
The film tells the story of Gregorio, a farmer who lives in the small town of Rosillas. He decides to restore the water supply to a small canal owned by his family and drained by Colonel Iglesias, a rich Argentinian landowner living nearby, who conspired with the town mayor to support his own vineyard. In his struggle for justice, Gregorio has to face the negligence of utility services, widespread corruption, the economic power of the impassive social elite.
"When it comes to Bolivia, where I was born and grew up, many people think of a highland area, although I come from the part where there are many valleys. The film was made there, in Rosillas, where several generations of my family have lived. When I was there a few years ago, I found that everything had dried up, and I asked my relatives about the reasons. It turned out the people living higher had simply diverted the aqueduct, changed the water supply direction. And this is how I started thinking that geographic location greatly affects people and such a critical resource as water. People living higher have better access to all kinds of resources. And this is relevant not only about water, but also about the social and economic context. This idea became the starting point for a film focused on various problems. This includes the water supply problem, which, I think, affects not only Bolivia, but also many other countries", noted Alejandro Quiroga.