Lawqa, Let’s Make the Park a Park Again
Synopsis: The World Biosphere Reserve “El Lauca” is one of the world’s last biodiversity reserves. Located in the highlands of Chile, bordering Bolivia, is being destroyed by the unbridled exploitation of the borax mining industry, and polluted by mining tailings, which threatens its natural resources. A prominent off-road athlete, Gabo Benoit, explores these forgotten trails and paths on his bicycle in search of a unique and magical place to practice fly fishing. On this route to “El Lauca” park there are enigmatic stories about the abandonment of this area, the life difficulties of the last inhabitants of the region and the political maneuvers that has turned the use of the Chilean highlands as a landfill for mining waste at the expense of its natural wonders. In this journey, Relaves Foundation and local activist Gabo reconstruct and reveal the history of how this situation was reached and invites us to be part of the highlands and save this World Biosphere Reserve.
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Journalist of the Diego Portales University (Chile). Director and Producer of documentaries and social environmental activist. Producer of the Chilean film Perro Muerto, winner of SANFIC 5 in the category “Work in Progress” and winner of “Best Chilean Film” at Festival de Valdivia 2010. Parallel to the film, he directs his debut: “Chao Pescao, Salvemos Punta de Choros “, an independent documentary that highlights the problem of coal-fired thermoelectric projects that threatened marine reserves in northern Chile, which later became a citizen movement that stop these industrial projects and for which it becomes a case of success studied internationally. Subsequently, Raimundo was director of videography at the NGO Oceana in Chile, and after that he founded the Media Factor, a communications agency where he carries out audiovisual campaigns for clean energy projects and conservation of the environment, together with international foundations and renowned activists such as singer Jack Johnson. Since 2015 he has been the audiovisual director of Fundación Relaves, conducting audiovisual campaigns to inform about the waste generated by mining and its impacts. During the 2018 and 2019 Fundación Relaves, in a co-production with Patagonia, they made the documentary “LAWQA, Let’s make the park a park again”, the second documentary directed by Gómez, and which seeks the effective protection of a World Biosphere Reserve . This documentary was recently the winner of the Audience Award and Best Photography at the Lo Valdés Film Festival (Chile).
