Precocious 24-year-old New York-based Italian filmmaker Giorgio Ghiotto has already won a ‘gold’ Student Academy Award for his graduation movie, Wings Of Dust, Now, he is in contention for an Oscar for Best Documentary Short.
The film profiles Vidal Merma, a Peruvian Indigenous journalist and activist fighting against the pollution caused by the industrial exploitation of his ancestral lands. As the doc reveals, Merma has faced threats and harassment because of his activities. There are lawsuits against him.
“He is in a situation where he is in constant danger,” the director says of his subject. “No matter how many threats he keeps receiving every day, no matter how dangerous his activities are, he just keeps on going!”
Ghiotto is from Rome originally. Wings Of Dust was his thesis project at New York University. He had first met Vidal when he was hired as a DoP on another project in South America. Vidal was the ‘fixer,’ helping with logistics and locations.
“I understood there was a really powerful story and strength in this man. That is what drove me to stay in Peru for longer,” the director remembers how he started working on the project.
Landscape plays a very prominent role in the documentary. Ghiotto highlights the rugged beauty of the mountains and valleys. The big industrial company that has moved into the area is poisoning the rivers and destroying the terrain.
“The word we needed to remember always when we talk about the Quechua indigenous community is pacha mama which means mother earth. Coming from Italy, when I met Vidal for the first time, I was shocked but also fascinated and inspired by his desire to risk his life for pacha mama. It is something that people from different cultures have difficulties in understanding. We just forget about those values. But for Vidal, his kid and his people, those values are intrinsic to their souls!”
There is a scene late on in the film in which Vidal’s son drinks clean water from a stream high up in the mountains. It’s a rare moment of tranquillity. For once, the journalist’s battles with the industrial company are forgotten as he and his son enjoy their time in nature.
In another scene, Vidal’s son is shown making a toy weapon out of wood. “One aspect of Vidal’s life that I really wanted to focus on was his relationship with Erik, his son. It’s a beautiful, pure and powerful father and son relationship,” Ghiotto says.
The moment with the toy gun came about when Vidal was sick and the director was spending time with Erik instead and saw him playing with the wooden weapon. “That little gun I think represents hope…that little gun has a really powerful meaning. It [also] represents the relationship between Vidal and Erik and their constant fight.”
When he started work on the documentary, Ghiotto was on his own, without a crew. “As a student, you can imagine resources were very limited.” In hindsight, he believes this was a “blessing.” It allowed him to develop a close friendship with Vidal.
He did eventually find some support. His producer Eliza Mitnick was a classmate. “She was one of the first people that really believed in the project. She continuously gave me suggestions when I felt like things weren’t working out. She really empowered the mission of this film.”
Through his company 5 Stick Films, Hollywood actor Benjamin Bratt (whose mother is of Peruvian Quechua descent) came on board the film as executive producer.
“I sent the film to Benjamin because I knew about his roots. I just wanted him to see it. His response was unbelievable. I still remember when he called Vidal for the first time…the way he spoke with Vidal really stuck in my mind, his respect for Vidal and the way he treated him. From that moment, I understood that Benjamin would be an incredible executive producer for the project.”
Winning the student Academy Award made Wings Of Dust eligible for the Oscars. Ghiotto has thrown himself into the campaign. He managed to secure Vidal a visa to come to the student awards event. “He [Vidal] gave an amazing speech. Everybody stopped and listened.”
Vidal was moved by their response and told Ghiotto that he “didn’t feel lonely anymore” after all his many months of single-handedly taking on the big industrial company in a David and Goliath battle.
The film was shot over several months in the summer of 2022. During the filming period, Ghiotto would hardly ever let his subject out of his sight. “If I would go back, I would be more selective but I just wanted to capture Vidal’s life at every moment. It is in the small moments we see how amazing this man is. I was like, ‘we can’t miss anything!’”
Now, the young director is turning his attention toward a potential first feature documentary. “My goal is to tell stories about people who are on the frontlines. One question I am going to ask myself in my next feature is how is it possible that certain people, no matter how much they are suffering and no matter the destruction around them, can still find the strength [to fight],” the director says. “This is what is going to drive me.”
