William Johansson Kalén’s and Lars Edman’s documentary about the struggle for justice in the Chilean desert town Arica has been selected to have its world premiere at IDFA (International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam). The festival is the world’s largest, most prestigious documentary film festival. ARICA will be presented in the “Frontlight”-section.

For 15 years Johansson Kalén and Edman have been following the case where the Swedish mining company Boliden is suspected of having acted negligent when it dumped 20 000 of tonnes of toxic sludge close to a poor neighborhood in Arica in the mid-80’s. The pile of toxic waste brought severe consequences to the neighborhood; an increasing number of people suffering from cancer, babies born with birth defects and hundreds of young people having to medicate for secondary diseases linked to lead and mercury poisoning.

In 2005 Kalén and Edman went to Arica for the first time to show how the neighborhood had been affected by the sludge. The result then became the documentary ‘Toxic Playground’ (2009). 

In the stand-alone sequel ‘ARICA’ we get to follow as the residents together with the help from Swedish lawyers take Boliden to Swedish Court. Many familiar faces from the first documentary are featured. Among others Jocelyn – one of the children who grew up playing in the toxic pile, and Rolf Svedberg, former environmental manager at Boliden, who ends up in between the parties and is forced to pick a side…. 

Arica is produced by Andreas Rocksén and distributed by Lightdox. Swedsih distribution is by Folkets Bio. 

IDFA takes place between the 18^th of November and the 6^th of December. 

Read more about Arica and other news at IDFAs official site: https://www.idfa.nl/