More than 1,300ft above the roaring Rio Negro in Colombia, nine-year-old Esteban and 11 year old Daniela prepare to throw themselves over the abyss. Attaching themselves to an old and rusted pulley system they drop over the edge before plummeting at 60mph along a zip wire to the opposite bank half a mile away – a vertigo-inducing journey they have to take every day to get to school.
For the handful of families living in the area of Los Piños, 40 miles southeast of the capital Bogota, the 12 steel cables that connect one side of the valley to the other are their only access to the outside world. German explorer Alexander von Humboldt was the first Westerner to observe the unusual rope system in 1804. They were traditionally made of hemp, but steel cables were installed with the advent of logging in the surrounding rainforest. When this was made illegal settlers turned their hand to farming and cattle raising. The government has refused to build a bridge due to the small population in the area so the cables are still the only transport available to those living in the area. The Cable tells the unique story of two children who must use the cable as their only means of crossing over to the outside world and the inspiring ways in which they manage to overcome such a seemingly insurmountable obstacle on a daily basis.
Awards
Nominated, Best Documentary, 2011 Limelight Film Awards
Winner, Audience Choice Award, Walthamstowe Short Film Club
Testimonial
“Worldview have been instrumental in helping us get our documentary short The Cable off the ground. They provided us seed money to go out and shoot the film, and have been a fantastic organisation to work with. They had great notes and guidance throughout the process while still allowing us the creative freedom to tell our story. The film has gone on to screen at numerous film festivals across the world including London Latin American Film Festival, Irish Latin American Film Festival, and Community Channel. And this would not have happened had the fantastic team behind Worldview not come on board and assisted us the way they did.” – Jesse Quinones, Director.
