Pura Vida
Director: Jan Nimmo (Costa Rica/ Scotland - 29 minutes)
Jan's second film, Pura Vida, looks at the social and environmental impact of agrochemicals used routinely to grow pineapples and bananas in Costa Rica for the export market. She worked closely with the late Carlos Arguedas Mora, a passionate trade unionist and environmentalist, and research scientist, Doctor Catharina Wesseling (IRET and SALTRA). Pura Vida has been broadcast on Community Channel and has been shown at many festivals worldwide including at FICMAC, Bareclona, The World on Your Plate Festival, Poland and CINESTRAT, Alicante. It won Best Short Environmental documentary at the CINESTRAT film festival in Spain. The film has been translated into German and Polish.
Sadly since making the film Carlos Arguedas died on 31st December 2010 and Costa Rica lost one of its most committed environmental campaigners and resilient trade unionists... Jan hopes that Pura Vida will play a modest part in keeping the memory of Carlos's work alive. Read Carlos' testimony on Green Gold.
Pura Vida is used as an educational resource for schools and NGOs such as Banana Link, The Fairtrade Foundation, Ecologistas en Acción (Andalucía), Scottish Trade Union Congress and Friends of the Earth (Scotland).
Thanks to Aimara Reques (Aconite Productions) and Iñigo Garrido (OaksBark).
Synopsis
We imagine Costa Rica as a tropical Paradise, Heaven on Earth... but Pura Vida exposes the social and environmental impact of toxic agrochemicals used to grow bananas and pineapples for export to Europe. Scottish artist, Jan Nimmo, travels to Costa Rica to meet Carlos Arguedas Mora, trade unionist and passionate environmental campaigner and Dr. Catharina Wesseling, a scientist with a long track record of researching agrochemicals and their effects on workers...
The film reveals the truth about intensive banana production and the threat of the rapidly expanding pineapple industry. For campaign ideas and actions visit Banana Link.
Pura Vida was awarded Best Short Environmental Documentary at CINESTRAT Film Festival, Alicante, Spain
DVDs available for screenings or as an educational resource contact Jan.
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