The Open Veins of Potosí

Silver, Lithium, and Mining in Bolivia

By Samuel George
13min2026
ExtractionSilverLithiumBoliviaPotosi

Potosí’s natural wealth has long powered the world—at a devastating cost to its people. Will this time be any different?

Award Ribbon

Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival

2026
Award Ribbon

DocUtah International Film Festival

2026
Award Ribbon

Festival Internacional de Cine, San Luis Potosí

2025

Disrupting Democracy: Italy’s 2018 Election

Italy’s 2018 election proved to be the latest shock to western democracies. By wide margins, Italians voted for populist movements at the expense of traditional parties. In May, the populist Five Star Movement and the right-wing Lega Party reached a tentative agreement to form a new governing coalition. Why did Italian voters risk putting their future in the hands of untested populists? From youth unemployment to a slumping working class and a simmering migration crisis, this documentary by the Bertelsmann Foundation goes inside a country at a crossroads.

Disrupting Democracy