Waste Land

Waste Land (2010) is Lucy Walker's documentary you can watch online on iFILM — the story of artist Vik Muniz turning the trash of the world's biggest landfill into art.

Jardim Gramacho, on the edge of Rio de Janeiro, is a vast dump where hundreds of catadores pull recyclable material out of the garbage by hand. Muniz, who grew up poor in Brazil before becoming a star of the global art market, photographs these workers, rebuilds their portraits as huge collages made from the waste itself, and channels the proceeds back to them.

Walker shot the project over nearly three years; it went on to a Best Documentary Feature Oscar nomination and the Audience Award at Sundance, with a score by Moby. What makes it rare is how it talks about poverty and dignity without sliding into pity. Stream Waste Land (2010) online on iFILM.