Maria and the New World
Director George Walker Torres
Countries
Duration 57 min
Synopsis
In the Caribbean mountains of Venezuela, stands Colonia Tovar, a Bavarian town in the heart of the tropics. Built in the XIX century by German peasants, today it has become a prosperous German theme park for tourists. Maria, a Venezuelan woman in her late thirties, lives in Colonia’s Tovar garbage dump. Separated from her daughter, Joana, Maria survives collecting cans and bottles surrounded by hordes of abandoned dogs. This film is her story, her struggle for survival and to get back Joana. A story of neglect and innocence: Maria’s, Joana’s, but also that of the first German settlers who dreamt of a paradise in this New World.
In the Caribbean mountains of Venezuela, stands Colonia Tovar, a Bavarian town in the heart of the tropics. Built in the XIX century by German peasants, today it has become a prosperous German theme park for tourists. Maria, a Venezuelan woman in her late thirties, lives in Colonia’s Tovar garbage dump. Separated from her daughter, Joana, Maria survives collecting cans and bottles surrounded by hordes of abandoned dogs. This film is her story, her struggle for survival and to get back Joana. A story of neglect and innocence: Maria’s, Joana’s, but also that of the first German settlers who dreamt of a paradise in this New World.