(Canada—2006—directed by Jennifer Baichwal)

The jaw-dropping Manufactured Landscapes is an acclaimed new documentary on the world and work of renowned artist Edward Burtynsky – yet that seemingly simple description in no way does it justice. Internationally acclaimed for his large-scale photographs of “manufactured landscapes”—quarries, recycling yards, factories, mines and dams—Burtynsky creates stunningly beautiful art from civilization’s materials and debris. The film follows him through China, as he shoots the evidence and effects of that country’s massive industrial revolution. With breathtaking sequences such as the opening tracking shot through an almost endless factory, the filmmakers extend the narratives of Burtynsky’s photographs, allowing us to meditate on our impact on the planet, subtly yet powerfully shifting our consciousness about the world and the way we live in it, without simplistic judgments or reductive resolutions. Best Canadian Feature Award, Toronto Film Festival. (90 min.)

“Awe-inspiring! Stimulates the senses and the conscience simultaneously.”         -The Hollywood Reporter