Carretera Cartonera: Discover the World of Cartonera Publishers

Italian filmmakers Marta Mancusi and Anna Trento traveled across South America to film this documentary short on the Cartonera book production industry. Created in Argentina in 2003 in response to the nation’s economic problems, the Cartonera movement unites junk salvagers—who collect cardboard from garbage dumps and sell their bounty to recycling plants—and small publishing operations, who use the recycled cardboard as covers for handcrafted books. The covers are decorated with unique artwork, thus providing one-of-a-kind copies of distinctive literary output. And the books are sold at relatively lower prices, offering low-income readers who cannot afford retail store books the opportunity to enjoy new material. The camera pinballs between Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay to interview the junk salvagers who have found their social status improved within their communities as the Cartonera industry has taken on a new importance in the continent-wide push for sustainability. Also featured are the artists who show how they turn the recycled cardboard covers into extraordinary displays of color and imagination. Mancusi and Trento have found a fascinating subject that touches multiple bases at once: socioeconomic struggles, publishing, entrepreneurship, contemporary Latin American society, and sustainable business practices. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)