From the land to your table
Seven countries. Seven popular markets. Seven different cultures. Seven directors. Seven different points of view. From the Land to Your Table (¿Qué culpa tiene el tomate?) is an observational documentary feature that shows the perspectives of seven talented filmmakers from all over Latin America and Galicia as they capture the conditions and cultural diversity of popular produce markets in their countries. The Galician segment, shot at the Praza de Abastos in Santiago de Compostela, had its world premiere at the MoMA in New York.
From the Land to Your Table was the first time I worked with producer Fernanda del Nido. She told me about this crazy project where she planned to have seven directors from seven different countries and seven different production companies; and each of us should make a short documentary film about a green market, so all those parts together could make a feature film. Obviously, I loved the idea. I chose to shoot my part at the green market of Santiago de Compostela, because that’s the town where I live and it’s one of the most beautiful markets I’ve ever seen.
There I met a large group of people who struggle every day to make a living; people like Bermúdez (always thinking of new ways of connecting with his customers) or Esteban, the butcher: one of the most sensible men I’ve met, who played a little role, a few years later, in my feature 18 meals. The process was long and difficult (we knew it would be), but it had a great ending the day it was chosen to make its world premiere at the MoMA, in New York. Quite an experience.
Awards
Best documentary.
Premiered at MoMA in New York in 2009.
- Best Documentary FeatureMestre Mateo Awards
