It came as a late announcement but we are happy to share that a Filipino-produced documentary won the silver award in this year’s United Nations Documentary Film Festival in Vera List Courtyard of The NewSchool, New York City.
“Burden of Gold,” a 16-minute video documentary on the plight of child miners in Camarines Norte received acclaim from the international jury as this year’s best “stories from the field” along with Gold winner “Invaders from the Sea,” produced by the International Maritime Organization.
“Burden of Gold” was shot in 2004 in Camarines Norte, Philippines where children in mining descend to the bowels of the earth to crawl through narrow, cramped, and poorly lit makeshift tunnels in search of gold to sell for a living. These children at such young age were exposed to working environment where the air is thick with dust. They constantly risk fatal accidents due to falling rock, explosions, collapse of mine walls,and the use of equipment designed for adults.
