Synopsis
A landmark work of Latin American
feminist cinema and the only feature film by pioneering documentarian
Margot Benacerraf,
Araya is a poetic, visually arresting look at life on Venezuela’s
Araya Peninsula, where generations of labourers have depended on mining the arid region’s salt pans for their livelihood. With industrial mechanization threatening to eradicate this difficult way of life, Benacerraf takes a final glance at the day-to-day routines of three families of salineros, capturing the strain of their work amidst the breathtaking but harsh landscape. From the salt miners to the fishermen who feed them, the film is a captivating, unsentimental tribute to the tenacity of their spirits.
