| The Devil's Miner | |
|---|---|
Promotional poster for The Devils Miner |
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| Directed by | Kief Davidson Richard Ladkani |
| Produced by | Kief Davidson Richard Ladkani |
| Written by | Kief Davidson Richard Ladkani |
| Starring | Basilio Vargas The miners of Cerro Rico |
| Distributed by | Cinema Delicatessen (theatrical) First Run Features (theatrical) YLE Teema (TV) |
| Release date(s) | November 30, 2005 |
| Language | Spanish/English |
The Devil's Miner is a 2005 documentary film directed by independent film directors Kief Davidson and Richard Ladkani. The film follows a fourteen year old Bolivian boy named Basilio Vargas who along with his twelve year old brother Bernardino work in the mines near the city of Potosí. The film includes many subtle realities of the miner's lives such as the need to chew coca leaves to numb the pain of hunger and the long shifts they work regardless of age.[1] The film made its world premier at the Rotterdam film festival and its U.S. debut at the Tribeca Film Festival.
The film concentrates on the concerns of local workers who have fear of what they call “Tio” or devil. The film claims that over 8 million people over a period of time have died in the unsafe mines. The workers believe this is because “Tio” controls the mine and that Christ has no power in the mine. The workers often give offerings and perform sacrifices to a makeshift statue of "Tio". The local Catholic priest is unable to tame these fears of “Tio” although the workers often pray at the church before entering the mine.