Švýcarsko, 2015, 49 min
Jessica Bollag
27.01.2018 18:50
The state of Iowa is the largest producer of soy and corn in the U.S.. In the town of Eldon, Iowa, the multi-national corporations, Cargill and John Deere, are the most important job sources -mostly in the low income bracket. In the town there are hardly any public services. The houses are often placed between vast fields. Five young people talk about their daily lives in this rural area. Firing and outsourcing are real threats. Beside all this, the protagonists are labeled with negative stereotypes: white trash, rednecks and hillbillies. The five friends of Eldon are very close to each other. They often meet unannounced. Their houses and cars don't need to be locked. The protagonists describe the local changes of Eldon. Why stay despite bad job opportunities? How do they deal with their negative stereotypes? Why is freedom more important than a career? Creative solutions and a strong sense of community are essential in this rural region. An anthropological documentary about unlocked doors, fun and conflict in geographical isolation.
Jessica Bollag has recently completed her Master's degree in Social Anthropology, with a focus on Visual Anthropology at the University of Bern. She has been working at the Federal Office of Culture and as assisting teacher at the University of Bern. Currently she's working as a researcher at the University of Teacher Education in Bern. Her research interests are in the field of Anthropology of work, social class and ethnographic filmmaking.
Director, Production, Camera, Edit, Script: Jessica Bollag
Language of Dialogues: English
Language of Subtitles: Czech, English
Launching of the movie, awards (selection):
Society for Visual Anthropology Film & Media Festival, Minneapolis, U S A; Award for the Best Graduate Student Film - Festival of Visual Culture Viscult Joensuu, Finland; Ethnografilm Paris, France; Days of Ethnographic Film Ljubljana, Slovenia; International Ethnographic Film Festival of Quebec, Canada; University of British Columbia International Festival of Anthropology Film, Vancouver, Canada; Ethnographic Film Festival Kratovo, Macedonia; Ethnocineca International Documentary Filmfestival Vienna, Austria; Nomination Excellence in Visual Anthropology Award - International Student's Ethnographic Film Festival Zadar, Croatia.