Darwin's Nightmare (2004)

Darwin's Nightmare (2004) (DVD) (*)

$22.99

Screened, competed or awarded at:
Ceasar Awards
European Film Awards
Oscar Academy Awards
Venice Film Festival
Other Film Festival Awards

Language Selections:
English ( Mono )
English ( Subtitles )
French ( Mono )
French ( Subtitles )
German ( Subtitles )
Italian ( Subtitles )
Russian ( Mono )

Product Origin/Format:
Germany ( PAL/Region 0 )

Running Time:
107 min

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen

Special Features:
Cast/Crew Interview(s)
Featurette
Interactive Menu
Music Video
Photo Gallery
Scene Access
Trailer(s)

Movie filmed in 2004 and produced in:
Austria ( Germany, Central Europe )
Belgium ( France, Benelux )
Canada ( USA, Canada )
Finland ( Scandinavia, Iceland )
France ( France, Benelux )
Sweden ( Scandinavia, Iceland )

Directed By:
Hubert Sauper

Written By:
Hubert Sauper

Actors:
Hubert Sauper

Synopsis:

The larger scope of the story explores the gun trade to Africa that takes place under the covers - Russian pilots fly guns into Africa, then fly fish back out to Europe. The hazards and consequences of this trade are explored, including the pan-African violence propagated by constant flow of weapons into the continent. If it is a 'survival of the fittest' world, as Darwin concluded, then the capitalist interests that fund the gun runners are climbing the evolutionary ladder on the backs of the Africans in this stark Darwinian example. Much like the foreseeable extinction of the Lake Victoria perch, and death of Lake Victoria itself, the Africans are in grave jeopardy, even as they survive in the only ways they know how.

In the 1950s or 1960s, the Nile perch was released into the Lake Victoria. In just a few decades, the large, voracious predator has all but eliminated the other species of fish, turning the lake into an ecological wasteland. 'But economically, it's good' - and indeed, perch fillet is Tanzania's best selling export to Europe. Fishermen, factory workers, civil servants, pilots of cargo aircrafts, delegates of the European Commission, communities living around Lake Victoria: plenty of people are involved in some way in this new industry. But if Africa exports hundreds of tons of premium-priced fish each day, what exactly do Africans get in return?

A harrowing and hard-hitting, yet beautifully filmed documentary that shows the devastating effects of the globalized economy on the residents of a fishing village in Tanzania. The story starts four decades ago when a species of huge fish is introduced to Tanzanias Lake Victoria. The fish are now harvested, chopped into filets and shipped to European and Japanese consumers while the Africans who catch and process them are left with rotting carcasses and very little else. This film focuses on the fish for gun trade that has arisen and the impact it has had on life in the area.

This product was added to our catalog on Friday 23 April, 2021.