By the Sea

Pictorial and acoustic notes from an extraordinary place on the coast of Northern Peru. Lobitos – an outpost with its particular share of history. It was controlled by British oil producers for most of the twentieth century, before being taken over by the Peruvian state in the late 1960s to set up a military base. After waves of dilapitation and revitalization it is today a surf spot, a fishing hamlet, a Potemkin village of sorts. All quite absurd, yet with a wealth of ambiences and pictorial sceneries. Incidentally, it was here that the first cinema in South America was opened, of which only a few remnants can be found on the ground next to the church.

Director: Manfred Neuwirth