The award-winning documentary film Landfill Harmonic by Brad Allgood and Graham Townsley, the heartfelt and moving story of the Paraguayan musical group “The Recycled Orchestra of Cateura,” and how musical instruments made from trash bring hope and dignity to children whose future is otherwise spiritless, will open at Cinema Village in New York City on Friday, September 9, followed by the Laemmle Theaters in Los Angeles on Friday, September 23.
Expanding into additional cities across North America and additional VOD, DVD and TV platforms later this fall, the theatrical release of Landfill Harmonic by the hand of The Film Collaborative and Emerging Pictures coincides with performances of the acclaimed orchestra in North America.
Winner of the the Humanitas Prize and the Audience Award at AFI Fest and SXSW, Landfill Harmonic, follows “The Recycled Orchestra of Cateura,” composed by kids who live next to one of South America’s largest landfills. When their story goes viral, the orchestra is catapulted into the global spotlight—including performances with popular American thrash metal band Megadeth—taking its inspiring spectacle of trash-into-music around the world.
Under the guidance of idealistic music director Favio Chávez, the orchestra must navigate a strange new world of arenas and sold-out concerts. However, when a natural disaster strikes their country, Favio must find a way to keep the orchestra intact and provide a source of hope for their town.
A film about the transformative power of music, which also highlights two vital issues of our times: poverty and waste pollution. The world generates about a billion tons of garbage a year. Those who live with it and from it are the poor – like the people of Cateura, Paraguay. And here they are transforming it into beauty. Landfill Harmonic is a testament to the transformative power of music and the resilience of the human spirit.
