If Colombia is the focal point of the new global gold rush then Marmato, a mining town with over 500 years of history, is the new frontier. In its mountain there are over $20 billion dollars in gold, but its 8,000 inhabitants are at risk of being displaced by an open-pit mining project planned by a Canadian mining company. This mountain of gold has always been both a blessing and a curse for the people of Marmato. The film intimately follows how the townspeople cope with a disturbing prophesy of change and takeover delivered by the mining company’s prospector: “You can believe in God all you want, but I don’t think he’s got too much to say about this mountain getting leveled.” Filmed over the course of 5 and a half years, Marmato is a canvas of magic realism and the confrontation with globalized mining.
