Oscar-nominated documentary Waste Land aired on PBS Independent Lens last Tuesday, but I didn’t notice the listing in time give a heads up. Luckily, Independent Lens re-broadcasts Sunday evening in many areas, so check your local schedule for another chance to catch it.
Filmed over nearly three years, Lucy Walker’s Waste Land follows renowned artist Vik Muniz as he journeys from his home base in Brooklyn to his home country of Brazil, and to Jardim Gramacho, the world’s largest garbage dump located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. There Muniz photographs an eclectic band of catadores — pickers of recyclable materials — and works with them to “paint” their portraits using garbage. The resulting collaboration with these inspiring characters provides profoundly moving evidence of the transformative power of art and its impact on the human spirit. Waste Land, will premiere on the Emmy® Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens, hosted by America Ferrera, on Tuesday, April 19, 2011 at 10 PM (check local listings).
Tomorrow night PBS American Experience will broadcast Stonewall Uprising. Trailer after the cut.
