• Close to Heaven - The Rice Terraces of the Philippines

    Close to Heaven - The Rice Terraces of the Philippines



  • Close to Heaven - The Rice Terraces of the Philippines

    Close to Heaven - The Rice Terraces of the Philippines



  • Close to Heaven - The Rice Terraces of the Philippines

    Close to Heaven - The Rice Terraces of the Philippines



Close to Heaven - The Rice Terraces of the Philippines

by Antje Christ

Close to Heaven - The Rice Terraces of the Philippines

Germany | 2016 | 45:00 min

Original Title:
Dem Himmel nah – Die Reisterrassen auf den Philippinen

Content Categories

Documentary
Synopsis
Over 2,000 years ago, the Ifugao mountain people began building a unique natural landscape: the world-famous rice terraces in the Philippine Cordilleras. Through a sophisticated system of bamboo shoots, canals, dams and sluices, water is routed downwards through the terraces from field to field. This unique rice-growing concept was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. However, working high up in the fields is arduous and brings little financial reward. Many of the younger Ifugao no longer wish to pursue this backbreaking way of life and leave their villages for tourism jobs in neighbouring towns. People come from all over the world to see the very thing that the young Ifugao want to leave behind: the rice terraces and traditional Ifugao way of life. But if the fields are not cultivated constantly, they soon fall into disrepair. Will it be possible to maintain the terraces while also doing right by the young generation of Ifugao? Apart from the breathtaking landscapes of Hungduan or Batad, the film features scenes from the Imbayah Festival in Banaue and explores the various efforts being made to keep alive the unique cultural landscape and rich tradition of the Ifugao.
Festivals/Awards
Terraced Landscapes Venice-Padua
IFF Ekotopfilm Bratislava
Natur Vision Ludwigsburg
Cast and Crew
  • Director Antje Christ
  • Producer Antje Christ
  • Director of Photography Marcel Schmitz
  • Sound Steven Altig
World Sales Company
NEW DOCS
Dasselstr. 75-77, 50674 Köln

Phone: +49 221 16819743

sales@newdocs.de
http://www.newdocs.de
Production Company
Christ Media GmbH
Bismarckstr. 34 , 50672 Köln

Phone: +49 221 2585758

info@christmedia.de
http://www.christmedia.de
Links / Reference
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