Why Arica and The Sky Above Zenica?

These two films form a powerful thematic pairing, illustrating the intersection of environmental destruction, corporate negligence, and human rights violations across two continents and cultural contexts.

Arica unfolds in the Global South, following the aftermath of toxic waste dumping in Chile by a Swedish mining company, while The Sky Above Zenica is set in post-industrial Bosnia, where a massive steel plant pollutes a city caught between economic survival and health risks. Together, they show how industrial exploitation transcends borders, yet manifest differently in various contexts.

Each films raises fundamental questions: Who is responsible when corporations cross borders? Can a community’s right to health outweigh a nation’s dependency on heavy industry? What does justice look like in environmental cases?