Grants & Awards

About the Film:

At one time the richest region of the western world, Bolivia has suffered over 500 years of exploitation at the hands of foreign powers. But the discovery of over half of the world’s lithium – the key resource used in electric car batteries – beneath a remote and beautiful salt flat known as the Salar de Uyuni has presented Bolivia with an unprecedented opportunity as the world begins to embrace green technology. This remarkable discovery, paired with the 2005 landslide victory of Evo Morales, Bolivia’s first indigenous president, presents an unparalleled opportunity for Bolivia to harness its wealth, provide for its people and break from its historical cycle of exploitation.

In a visually poetic and philosophical form, Charge takes us on a journey through the conflicts surrounding Bolivia’s natural resources; from the silver mines of Cerro Rico to the rooftops in Cochabamba, and from the gas fields of Tarija to the coca fields of Chapare. Three convergent stories – those of a Bolivian salt farmer who lives and works on the Salar de Uyuni, a patriotic mining official for the Bolivian government, and Evo Morales himself – offer a portrait of the Bolivian people at a crucial and conflicted moment in their history.

Charge is also a Cinereach production.

About the Filmmakers:

Mike Plunkett – Director
Mike Plunkett’s short film Mary Mary, which he wrote, directed and edited, was a King Wasserman finalist at the First Run Film Festival. Mike has edited several documentary films and TV shows including Miami Ink, LA Ink, Makeover Train, and Storm Chasers. He edited a Cinereach (Reach Film Fellowship) documentary short called So The Wind Won’t Blow It All Away, which screened at the Sundance Film Festival and aired on PBS.

Anna Farrell – Producer
Anna’s recent works have begun to blend documentary and narrative forms and have taken her to Cuba, the Czech Republic, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, and across the U.S. She recently co-produced A Ballet in Sneakers: Jerome Robbins and Opus Jazz, a companion documentary to NY Export: Opus Jazz, which premiered at SXSW ‘10 where it was recognized with the Emerging Visions Audience Award and played on PBS as part of the Great Performances/Dance in America Series. Anna’s first feature, Twelve Ways to Sunday, was one of ten films to participate in IFP’s ‘09 Documentary Filmmaker Lab and premiered with Rooftop Films ‘10.

Sam Black – Consulting Producer
A native of Portland, Maine, Sam Black has worked in documentary film in New York since 2007, primarily at Jigsaw Productions, the production company of Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney. He acted as an archival research coordinator on Gibney’s Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson (Sundance, 2008), and an associate producer and researcher on three subsequent Jigsaw films: Casino Jack and the United States of Money (Sundance, 2010), the forthcoming My Trip to Al Qaeda (SXSW and Tribeca Film Festivals, 2010), and a currently-untitled documentary about Eliot Spitzer (Tribeca Film Festival, 2010).

Festival & Award Highlights:

Gucci/Tribeca Documentary Fund
IFP
NYSCA
Snag Films/Paley Center for Media