<p>&nbsp;Fo<span style="color: rgb(34,34,34);background-color: rgb(255,255,255);font-size: small;font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">r the ability to narrate, from an apparently peripheral position, the conflicts lacerating a nation, through the expressiveness of faces, of landscapes and of music.</span>&nbsp;</p>

Synopsis

<p>Once upon a time, the Venezuelan village of Congo Mirador was prosperous, alive with fishermen and poets. Now it is decaying and disintegrating – a small but prophetic reflection of Venezuela itself.&nbsp;</p> <p>On Lake Maracaibo, beneath the mysterious silent Catatumbo lightning, the village of Congo Mirador is preparing for parliamentary elections. For streetwise local businesswoman and Chavist party representative Tamara every vote counts, fought by all means, while for opposition-supporting teacher Natalie, politics is a weapon unsuccessfully attempting to force her rom her job. And with her sharp eyes, little Yoaini sees her community sinking from sedimentation, her childhood and innocence with it. How can a small fishing village survive against corruption, pollution and political decay – a reflection of all the flaws of contemporary Venezuela.&nbsp;</p>

Biography and filmography

<p>Venezuelan filmmaker, Anabel Rodríguez Ríos, based in Vienna, Austria, gained a Masters in Filmmaking at the London Film School, which was sponsored by British Council and the Venezuelan <em>Foundation El gran Mariscal de Ayacucho</em>. Her latest short <em>The Barrel</em>, part of the <em>Why Poverty</em> series, went to over 50 International Film Festivals, including HotDocs, IDFA and was awarded with a TFI Latin Grant.</p>