KAMLOOPS - After Hurricane Mitch in 1988, thousands of people were temporarily located to live on the margins on the city of Chinandega, Nicaragua in the ‘circle of death,’ living between a garbage dump, a cemetery and a sewerage plant. Over 20 years later the community of ‘El Limonal’ remains at the dump, and intends to stay. Charitable projects have been set up in an effort to help improve the health care and education of people living there, but when Warren, Jess and Douglas volunteered here they realised in order to truly help the community they had to first find out what the people themselves thought.

Now in an effort to find answers, Gringos Jess Rothenburger and Warren Fitzgerald, and filmmaker Douglas Barill, will face toxic fumes, body parts, human waste and collapsing walls of garbage. They must tirelessly scavenge with the locals on mountains of burning rubbish in search of recyclables to sell... and to earn enough to eat. It’s a fine line between austerity and shock treatment, but one that must be crossed to gain a true glimpse of life lived by those who can only dream of what many of us take for granted.  

Jess Rothenburger is a native son of Kamloops, and TRU MBA alumni. Douglas Barill of Ontario is also a TRU MBA alumni. Warren Fitzgerald, of London, England, is the acclaimed author of ‘The Go-Away Bird.’

The base funding for film will result from crowd-funding: www.indiegogo.com/projects/gringos-in-the-garbage    Funding deadline: Nov.11, 2013

“We are happy to risk our health to find out if the people of El Limonal are hapless victims of poverty, or inspiring entrepreneurs,” says Jess. “An equal share of earnings from the film’s distribution will go back to the community, but is not about charity but about making compelling film. We believe the people’s story, and our challenge, can serve to inform, enlighten and entertain viewers. It is our health on the line, but making this movie is a grassroots effort that involves our supporters. We invite everyone to join us to make this happen.”

Scheduled for filming in Feb 2014 and currently independently produced by Warren, Jess and Douglas, the film will be available for network distribution in August 2014.

One never knows what treasures, tangible or otherwise, await the Gringos in the Garbage.

News from © iNFOnews, 2013