Educational Media Reviews Online

For the past 50 years, diamond trawlers have been mining the ocean floor off the coast of Nambia. Today, the Nambian government and DeBeers diamond syndicate control these waters. This documentary takes the viewer onboard a dilapidated vessel during a 90 day voyage to witness the depraved conditions and the racial tensions among the 38 international crew members.

This film has no narration whatsoever. The camera operators move from crew member to crew member to get their comments. The makeup and hierarchy of the crew is analogous to the economic situation in Nambia: impoverished Nambians perform the proletarian work while the South African supervisors and an Israeli security officer scrutinize the workers. One Nambian worker comments on the irony of being a de facto slave off the coast of his own country. He suggests that this administration of the trawler is a return to colonial times. All workers deal with the dangers of the mining, poor equipment, poor conditions, constant monitoring and scrutiny, and the pressure involved in mining such a precious commodity.

To say this film is candid would be an understatement. This film is light years beyond the staged “reality” shows viewed by many North Americans. Crew members were filmed at volatile and often private times. Vulgarities and blunt racist remarks of the crew are common in this film, and telling of their dispositions. Though the sound quality is somewhat poor, there are subtitles throughout the documentary.

This film is recommended for adult audiences looking to examine a microcosm of the grim side of the global diamond mining industry.

Awards:

• 2001 International SCAM Prize, Cinema du Reel Film Festival (Paris)
• 2001 Golden Gate Award, San Francisco International Film Festival
• 2001 International Documentary Festival, Amsterdam
• 2001 DoubleTake Documentary Film Festival
• 2001 DocAviv Documentary Film Festival
• 2001 United Nations Association Film Festival (Stanford)