Sebastião Salgado's Documentary 'The Salt of the Earth' Premieres in Brazil After Oscar Nomination

The documentary 'The Salt of the Earth,' directed by Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, premieres in Brazilian commercial theaters on March 26. The film, a Brazilian, French, and Italian co-production, chronicles the life and work of photographer Sebastião Salgado, focusing on his ambitious 'Genesis' project, an expedition from 2004 to 2012 to document unexplored planetary regions. It was presented at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Prize in the 'Un Certain Regard' section, and was voted Best Film by the public at the San Sebastián International Film Festival in Spain. This year, it was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Documentary category but lost to 'Citizenfour,' directed by Laura Poitras. The film explores Salgado's trajectory, including his 1986 photograph of Serra Pelada workers, and features personal reflections from his son, Juliano, on their relationship. Salgado, born in Aimorés, Minas Gerais in 1944, studied economics in Vitória and São Paulo before moving to Paris in the 1960s due to political persecution. His career shifted from economics at the World Bank to photography after his wife, Lélia Deluiz Wanick, gifted him a camera. The documentary's score is by French actor and director Laurent Petitgand.