GIACOMO PORRA
Filmmaker | Photographer
PHOTOGRAPHY
FILMMAKING
HANDS OF THE SOUTH
STORIES FROM THE BORDER
I have to sell this large bunch of bananas for, like, maybe seven thousand pesos—that's barely enough for the gas to take it up the mountain on my motorbike. I can't even imagine how much they'll sell them for in Bogotá” says Mauricio, a farmer from Sandoná, Nariño, while we walk down a trail with her daughter, Samira. “Fortunately, my land is fertile and provides us with everything we need, but we won't get rich selling our products”. In his steep, volcanic fields, Mauricio cultivates an impressive number of plants. Coffee, avocado, oranges, yuca, papaya, tomatoes, guama, guayaba, granadilla, guanabana, achiote. Many others that I couldn't name.
EL INGENIO, NARIÑO
This report documents the inequalities of rural life in southern Colombia, contrasting it with urban centers. The divide between rural and urban is more pronounced than ever. In rural areas, food and artisanal goods are purchased for little sums, only to be sold at exorbitant prices elsewhere, often exported, stripping them of their cultural context and origins. This project aims to start a critical dialogue about extractivism in production and exportation, raising the fundamental question: who truly benefits from this system?
The village of Sandoná is known to be one of the biggest producers of hand woven Panama Hats. “I am the one who takes the bread to this table” laughs Dalis, Mauricio’s wife. An expert artisan and leader of a women’s weaving cooperative, she oversees more than ten workers. “These sombreros are to be exported, god only knows where, maybe Europe, maybe United States. They sold it to more than 250 dollars each. So, they have to be more than perfect”. Says Dalis while helping one of the artisans re-do some detailed weavings. "They call them Panama Hats, and they think they're made in Ecuador. There's some confusion on the theme." They are made with a local palm, called paja toquilla, dried and sometimes dyed.
ABOUT
Italian freelance filmmaker, photographer and journalist. He worked for years in a communication company in his country: in 2022 he started travelling around Mexico and central America, while doing projects with NGOs, association and organization focused on biodiversity and social themes. Now lives in Bogota, Colombia, and he's developing a project focused on primate conservation.​
+57 310 5875561
