Marmato is a 2014 American documentary film written, directed and produced by Mark Grieco. It is the debut feature film of Grieco. The film premiered in competition category of U.S. Documentary Competition program at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 17, 2014, where it won the Candescent Award .
8-419: The film narrates 6-years long struggle of townspeople of Marmato, Caldas with Canadian mining company that wants the $ 20 billion in gold beneath their homes. Director, Mark Grieco lived and filmed in the town of Marmato over the course of 5 1/2 years from 2008-2013. The entirety of the film takes place in the town except for two scenes in the nearby city of Medellín. Grieco worked alone filming with one camera,
16-443: A Colombian gold rush is equal parts passion and compassion project." Mark Adams of Screen International said it is "a striking and vivid story" and "a fascinating glimpse into a tough and resilient community" Daniel Feinberg in his Sundance review for HitFix called it "one of the best films I've seen in this year's U.S. Documentary Competition" with "compelling and fully realized characters". He goes on to say, "The whole thing
24-461: Is a town and municipality in the Colombian Department of Caldas . Founded in 1540, Marmato has a population of 10,000 people. It is one of the historic gold-mining regions of the hemisphere. The town used to be the home of a large population of Cornish miners, who were drawn to this location from their native land to work the mines. In 1946, after various disputes about mining rights,
32-597: Is like a Werner Herzog film, man's base desires, juxtaposed with sublime and unconquerable nature" Jordan M. Smith from Ioncinema gave the film a positive review by saying that "Grieco’s film acts as an advocate for cultural preservation, but in doing he’s unfortunately woven a story as muddled as the conflict it documents." However, Justin Lowe of The Hollywood Reporter said, "Sympathetic account of beleaguered small-town residents doesn’t muster enough material to prove entirely persuasive." Marmato, Caldas Marmato
40-547: The Canon XH-A1. Production was forced to end when it became too dangerous to continue to film in the town. The film received positive response from critics. Kenneth Turan in his preview of Sundance 2014 for the Los Angeles Times said that it was among the festival's most memorable films and is "made with exceptional artistry." Guy Lodge in his review for Variety said that "Mark Grieco's detailed, patient chronicle of
48-473: The government established a zone in the hills where the town stands, which was to be the preserve for mining by the various small miners of the town. This was in effect until 2007, when the Canadian mining company Medoro Resources merged with a Colombian company to form the conglomerate called "Gran Colombia Gold". This corporation proposed digging a massive strip mine on the site of the town, which would require
56-457: The local Archbishop had agreed to the sale of the Church's property in the town. He was stopped just outside the town and shot to death. Opponents of the plans to move the town claim that it was agents of the mining company who murdered him, due to his opposition to the plans. Reynal himself had made a video just days before his death, in which he said that only his death would end his opposition to
64-479: The total demolition of the town and the relocation of its populace. Naturally, the people of the town have resisted this, claiming that the government had violated its own rules in agreeing to this. On 1 September 2011, the local parish priest , the Reverend José Reynal-Restrepo was returning on his motorbike from a trip to Bogotá , the nation's capital , to clarify the company's claims that
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