Altiplano (2009 film)

Shooting took place at locations in Belgium and Peru for 43 days, between June and October 2008. Because of extreme weather conditions at an altitude of 5,000 metres in the Peruvian Andes, the cast and crew had access to a medical team 24 hours a day.{{cite web|title=Press Release by First Run Features |url=http://pdf.bandits-movie.com/tabatabai/press_release_altiplano.pdf |website=bandits-movie.com |access-date=11 October 2023}}

Although the film is fictional, it is inspired by true events that took place in the year 2000 a Peruvian village of Choropampa District. Furthermore, some characters, like Saturnina and Max, are also based on reports and anecdotes of local villagers and foreign doctors.{{cite news|title=Altiplano |url=https://www.altiplano.info/ |website=altiplano.info |access-date=11 October 2023}}{{cite web| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/20/movies/20altipano.html| title = Culture Collisions in the Andes| last = Catsoulis| first = Jeannette| date = 19 August 2010| publisher = The New York Times| access-date = 11 October 2023}}{{subscription required}}

Photographer Grace is devastated after being forced to take a picture of the killing of her guide in Iraq. Back in Belgium, she withdraws the picture after it had already been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Her husband Max is an oculist and leaves to work at an eye clinic in the Andes in Peru. A local mine spills mercury, causing many people of the nearby village of Turubamba to succumb to illness. Max and his fellow physicians suspect toxins to be the reason for the affliction. They decide to collect more data in Turubamba.

Meanwhile, Saturnina, a young woman from the village loses her fiancé to the contamination. Upon the physicians' arrival, Saturnina's fiancé's mother angrily rejects the doctors' request to examine the body. The villagers turn their rage on the doctors and stone Max to death. Saturnina leads an unsuccessful demonstration against the mine's truck drivers. After the mine's closure, Saturnina commits suicide by drinking mercury and films her death on the camera Max had dropped when he was killed.

Grace sets out on a journey to the place of Max's death. Saturnina's mother welcomes her and offers hospitality. Grace watches the video made by Saturnina. In the end, she partakes in Saturnina's funeral and finally ends her mourning over her husband.

• Magaly Solier as Saturnina
• Jasmin Tabatabai as Grace
• Olivier Gourmet as Max
• Behi Djanati Atai as Sami
• Edgar Condori as Nilo/Omar
• Sonia Loaiza as mother
• Edgar Quispe as Ignacio
• Norma Martinez as female doctor
• Rodolfo Rodríguez as Raúl

The film has garnered mainly positive responses{{Cite web |url=http://www.altiplano.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=51&Itemid=54 |title=Film critics |access-date=30 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903205317/http://www.altiplano.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=51&Itemid=54 |archive-date=3 September 2011 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/27/movies/27movies.html| title = Film Series and Movie Listings| date = 26 August 2010| publisher = The New York Times| access-date = 11 October 2023}}{{subscription required}}{{cite web| url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-oct-01-la-et-capsules-20101001-story.html| title = Movie review: 'Altiplano'| last = Thomas| first = Kevin| date = 1 October 2010| publisher = Los Angeles Times| access-date = 11 October 2023}} and was well-received at the Critics' Week in Cannes.{{cite web| url = https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/108445/| title = Life and death in Altiplano| last = Lemercier| first = Fabien| date = 20 May 2009| publisher =Cineuropa| access-date = 11 October 2023}}

Altiplano was nominated for two Magritte Awards in the category of Best Film in Coproduction and Best Costume Design for Christophe Pidre and Florence Scholtes, in 2011.{{cite web|url=http://www.cineuropa.org/nw.aspx?t=newsdetail&l=en&did=194469|title=Magritte Awards shine spotlight on Belgian Francophone cinema|publisher=Cineuropa|first=Aurore|last=Engelen|date=14 January 2011|accessdate=11 January 2013}}

It has also won a number of independent film awards:

• Bangkok International Film Festival 2009: Special Golden Kinnaree Award for Environmental Awareness[http://bangkokfilmfest.com/?name=news&file=readnews&id=21 Bangkok Film Festival 2009]
• Festival Film Europeen de Virton 2009: Prize of the City Virton{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}
• Lucania Film Festival 2010: Best Feature Film [https://web.archive.org/web/20101107072011/http://www.lucaniafilmfestival.com/english/2010/winners-2010/ Lucania Film Festival]
• Festival de Cinema de Avanca 2010: Best Feature Film {{Cite web |url=http://www.ecufilmfestival.com/en/2011/07/winners-of-avanca-2010/ |title=European Independent Film Festival |access-date=31 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816002208/http://www.ecufilmfestival.com/en/2011/07/winners-of-avanca-2010/ |archive-date=16 August 2011 |url-status=dead }}
• Festival de Cinema de Avanca 2010: Best Actress for Magaly Solier{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}
• International Film Festival Tofifest 2010: Special Jury Award[http://www.tofifest.pl/en/nagrody-2010 Tofifest Poland]

{{Reflist}}

• {{official website|altiplano.info}}
• {{IMDb title|1318022|Altiplano}}
• {{rotten-tomatoes|Altiplano|Altiplano}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110925205451/http://www.farbfilm-verleih.de/filme/altiplano.html Website of distributor Farbfilm Verleih] (German)

Category:Peruvian drama films

Category:Belgian drama films

Category:2009 films

Category:Environmental films

Category:2000s Spanish-language films

Category:2000s Peruvian films

Category:Quechua-language films

Category:2000s French-language films

Category:2000s English-language films

Category:2000s Persian-language films

Category:First Run Features films

Category:2009 multilingual films

Category:Belgian multilingual films

Category:2000s Belgian films

Category:Films directed by Jessica Woodworth