We are the garbage collectors. Always blessed.

Garbage Dreams records the tremblings of a culture at a crossroads… the film digs into the politics of a life that few would choose but many depend on.  -The New York Times

Welcome to the world’s largest garbage village located on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. The Zaballeen (Arabic for “garbage people”) recycle 80 percent of the trash they collect — far more than other recycling initiatives. But now multinational corporations threaten their livelihood. Follow three teenage boys, born into the business, who are forced to make choices that will impact the survival of their community.

Garbage Dreams premieres tonight, Tuesday, April 27 at 10:00 on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings).

Recycling is not just good for the environment — it’s also sound economic practice. Take on the role of the Zaballeen and turn trash into cash by playing the Garbage Dreams interactive recycling game.

Tags: Cairo, Egypt, environment, recycling

Independent Lens Celebrates 40th Anniversary of Earth Day

Did you know that April marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day? To celebrate, Independent Lens will premiere a brand new line-up of programs, as well as offer free educational lesson plans, and an interactive game to help inspire viewers to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

First up on Independent Lens is Dirt! The Movie, airing April 20 at 10:00 PM, by Bill Benenson and Gene Rosow. Narrated by Jamie Lee Curtis, Dirt! takes viewers inside the wonders of the soil and looks at how industrial farming, mining, and urban development have led us toward cataclysmic droughts, starvation, floods, and climate change. Inspired by William Bryant Logan’s acclaimed book, Dirt: The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth, the film deftly combines science and humor as it digs into the history and current state of the living organic matter from which we come from and where we will one day return. Dirt is a part of everything we eat, drink and breathe, which is why we should stop treating it like, well … dirt.

Then on April 27 at 10:00 PM, watch Garbage Dreams. Filmed over four years, director Mai Iskander goes inside the world of Egypt’s Zaballeen (Arabic for “garbage people”) to reveal the lives of two teenage boys born into the trash trade. The film reveals how –– for generations –– the residents of Cairo have depended on the Zaballeen to collect their trash, paying them only a minimal amount for their garbage collection services. These entrepreneurial garbage workers survive by recycling 80 percent of all the garbage they collect, creating what is arguably the world’s most efficient waste disposal system. Recycling to lift themselves out of poverty, the Zaballeen have, through necessity, devised ingenious solutions to one of the world’s most pressing problems.

The broadcast of Garbage Dreams will also be accompanied by an interactive game in which players assume the role of the Zaballeen. Players will sort through trash and recycle everyday items found in Cairo –– all against a ticking clock! So put on your eco-savvy hats because you’ll have to quickly sort everything to match the 80 percent recycling rate of the Zaballeen within 12 rounds of play.

Corresponding lesson plans for grades 9-12, complement the game and the film, and further explore the issue of recycling and the globalized economy.

Learn more about Independent Lens Earth Day >>

Tags: Earth Day, environment, environmental, Maggie Gyllenhaal, recycling

Garbage Dreams Events Make People Look At Garbage Differently

Community Cinema held 37 free events for Garbage Dreams, which focused on raising awareness about recycling. From the sheer number of questions about recycling, we know that the film sparked discussion, moved people to action, and provided education on the local level. Filmed over four years, Garbage Dreams follows three teenage boys born into the trash trade and growing up in the world’s largest garbage village –– a ghetto located on the outskirts of Cairo. The film will have its television premiere on April 27 at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings). Learn more about the local impact of Community Cinema below.

Filmmaker Mai Iskander

Filmmaker Mai Iskander sat down in January with Kojo Nnamdi on WAMU in Washington, D.C. to talk about global environmental challenges and how the “Zabaleen” — or garbage collectors — and how they’ve captured the world’s attention for their startlingly efficient, eco-friendly, and low-tech methods of recycling.
Listen to the full interview [20 minutes] >>

The New York Times‘ Jeannette Catsoulis reviewed Garbage Dreams. She said, “…this new film digs deeper into the politics of a life that few would choose but many depend on.” Read her full review >>

At one of our first events at the Saratoga Springs Public Library in New York, our partner organization for the free screening was the local chapter of The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA). Our speaker from GAIA was Tracy Frisch, who is active in several other nonprofit organizations in the area. There were also two audience members –– a husband and wife –– who own a local Egyptian products store and were brought up in Cairo.

In sunny San Diego, Calif., at the San Diego Public Library, Garbage Dreams was the best screening of the season according to our partners. It was the biggest audience so far, and the event had an excellent speaker who kept more than half the audience in their seats for Q&A. The film presented an opportunity to discuss grassroots activism and how to mobilize now on recycling issues in San Diego. Read local coverage from the the San Diego Reader >>

Now is the time for recycling. In the video below, filmmaker Mai Iskander and Adham, one of the young subjects from the film, take us on a tour of a typical American trash dumpster:

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Tags: Cairo, Egypt, environment, recycling

Nashville Garbage Dreams Event a Homecoming After 2009 NaFF Success

Community Cinema hosted a screening of the Independent Lens film Garbage Dreams this past weekend at the Nashville Public Library. The film follows three teenage boys born into the trash trade and growing up in the world’s largest garbage village, a ghetto located on the outskirts of Cairo. Regional Outreach Coordinator Allison Inman gives an overview of the event.

Al Gore presents filmmaker Mai Iskander with the REEL Current Award for extraordinary insight into global issues at the 2009 Nashville Film Festival.

Saturday, Community Cinema welcomed more than 125 people into Nashville Public Library’s downtown branch auditorium for a screening of Garbage Dreams. The event was a homecoming of sorts; Mai Iskander and her film were the talk of last year’s Nashville Film Festival (NaFF) when Al Gore presented Mai with the REEL Current Award for extraordinary insight into global issues. Because of Garbage Dreams, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation donated $1 million to benefit the Zaballeen, the “garbage people” profiled in the film. When announcing the grant, Garbage Dreams’ producers credited Nashville Film Festival and the REEL Current Award with part of the film’s success. As NaFF Director Sallie Mayne said, “We feel like a small but important part of its journey.”

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Tags: Egypt, environment, garbage, Nashville, recycling

Community Cinema Screening of Garbage Dreams in Houston

Producing Partners are local community organizations that co-present Community Cinema screenings across the country. Last night, HoustonPBS screened the Independent Lens film Garbage Dreams. Filmed over four years, the film follows three teenage boys born into the trash trade and growing up in the world’s largest garbage village, a ghetto located on the outskirts of Cairo. Manar Hindi, Community Cinema assistant coordinator, talks about the event and how she’ll never look at trash the same way again.

Harry Hayes talks with audience members after the Community Cinema screening and panel discussion.

Speakers Harry Hayes, director of the city’s Solid Waste Management Department; Dr. H.C Clark, professor at Rice University; and Cindy Yepez of the Houston Green Scene.

I’ve always wondered what happens with my trash. It seems to magically disappear each week and I don’t really have any idea what happens to it or what impact it has on my community. Well that all changed last night. What I learned at the HoustonPBS Community Cinema screening of Garbage Dreams was fascinating.

Houston recycles about 22 percent of its solid waste. While the number shows an improvement, we still lag behind cities like Portland (63 percent) and San Francisco (72 percent). Harry Hayes, director of the city’s Solid Waste Management Department, said that one of the things needed to increase the number of people recycling in Houston is legislation. He talked about how people in San Francisco are fined if they don’t recycle properly. He said if people are really concerned about recycling they need to contact their elected officials.

One audience member asked what he could do to implement a recycling plan in his apartment building, since there was no real precedent for him to follow. Mr. Hayes’ answer was that there was no “curbside” pick up currently for apartment building, so his suggestion was to speak with the owner’s of the apartment building about possibly hiring a private company to collect and haul the recyclables away.

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Tags: Egypt, garbage, Houston, HoustonPBS, recycling