Camisea

In the 1990s, the first gas pipeline was laid down straight across Peru, finally giving the country access to its national energy source on a large scale. The line runs from the Amazon across the Andes to the capital of Lima on the coast. The 470-mile-long pipeline is called the Camisea, after the river where the gas was discovered. The film was commissioned by the gas transport company, but apart from one credit you would not be able to tell, as it could not be further from an industrial film. Enrique Bellande, the maker of Mary's City (2001), which received funding from the Jan Vrijman Fund, focuses on the social aspects of the construction. The workers are away from home for months on end and have to entertain themselves in the makeshift encampment in the heart of the jungle with soccer, fitness and playing the guitar. Nostalgia is their biggest enemy. A geologist, overseer and truck driver are followed during their work. In addition, the giant project is an important character unto itself. People work (and film) on muddy slopes that sometimes exceed 50 degrees, in pouring rain and on rivers. Small details alternate with breathtaking panoramas of the Andes, all captured without comment on Super 16mm. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)