Children of Roots

Details

Last Updated on Friday, 15 July 2011 15:20

Children of Roots is the story of the small South American potato Ochoa, who awakes one day in a German potato field. Confused about being so far away from home, he explores the city of Ulm and befriends three fellow South Americans. Because a potato only has roots on its mind, Ochoa interviews them on the subject of living in foreign countries and learning to adapt. When Ochoa returns to Perú, he discovers that "home" isn't always about origin - it's about choice.

 

A puppet-documentary about roots, integration and the quest for personal identity. Dedicated to Carlos Ochoa.

 

Praise from the press:

"Children of Roots is a delicately produced film" Südwest Presse

"Soncco's poetry meets Klawikowski's know-how" Neu-Ulmer Zeitung

 

The Film's Background

Children of Roots was the first collaboration between writer-filmmaker Ritti Soncco and puppeteer-filmmaker Mark Klawikowski. Ritti Soncco wished to thematise the virtues and problems of living in a foreign country, while Mark Klawikowski wanted a puppet to carry the themes and film.

 

The puppet-documentary was originally set solely in Germany and intended for the artists' film tour in northern Perú in October 2009. During the tour, however, the filmmakers decided to film the audiences' reactions and interview them afterwards with the question: "Would you leave your country?" The result is a portrait of people living on opposite ends of the Atlantic ocean, wondering if the grass really is greener on the other side.

 

Interested in Renting the Film?

Please Contact Us anytime! Children of Roots is suitable for adolescents, adults, schools, womens' groups and people with immigration backgrounds. It is recommended for children above age 10, because it is in Spanish with German/English subtitles.

 

 

 

Carlos Ochoa's Legacy

The main character, Ochoa, is dedicated to the Peruvian scientist Carlos Ochoa (1920-2008). Children of Roots was produced with the support and blessing of his wife, Alida Ochoa, and his daughter, Amparo Ochoa. Both star in the film.

 

Carlos Ochoa dedicated his life to collecting, evaluating and producing potato species in order to battle world hunger. Wild potatoes were rapidly disappearing due to erosion, deforestation and the Panamerican Highway, and Carlos Ochoa felt it was his moral obligation to "collect and evaluate every existing species". He was interested in how genetics could improve potatoes to grow under harsh and freezing conditions, so that the world may be fed.

 

Today, an estimated 5,000 potatoes are known to mankind. 50% of these potatoes come from Perú. Of these 50%, Carlos Ochoa discovered two-thirds. In 1969, Carlos Ochoa rediscovered "Darwin's lost potato" off the coast of Chile. He had to wade through a swamp of leeches to reach it. His restless and adventurous expeditions gained him the name "the Indiana Jones of the potato". Watch a short documentary (in Spanish) on Carlos Ochoa here, on YouTube.

 

To raise awareness on the potato's nutritious virtues, the United Nations declared the year 2008 the International Year of the Potato. Carlos Ochoa passed away in 2008; Children of Roots was born in 2008. The name GoldenPotato is a hommage to Ritti Soncco and Mark Klawikowski's first film and to Carlos Ochoa's spirit of strength.

 

Children of Roots Credits

Written, Directed & Produced by Ritti Soncco & Mark Klawikowski

Puppet creation:  Mark Klawikowski

Camera & Cut:  Ritti Soncco

Theme Song:  Andreas Usenbenz & Gregor Quade

Starring:  Nancy Calero de Dentler, Elisabeth Müller-Linss, Larisa Klingler, Jovenes Emprendedores, Giancarlo Zapata, Alida & Amparo Ochoa

 

Thank You Nancy Calero de Dentler, theater in der westentasche, Thomas & Crisha Dentler, Volkshochschule Ulm, Sus Palm, Oliver Schmidt, Christine & Günther Klawikowski, Bruno Buendía, Señora Perla Buendía, Tomás Temoche, Bruno Ortiz León of Brugas Productions, Rainer & Olinda Zachmann, the City of Pimentel, Yapayito & Espumadera, and the schools Santa Rose de Lima, San Pedro de Romero, Daniel A. Alcides Carríon.

 

Special Thank You to Alida and Amparo Ochoa for your blessings and for welcoming the potato Ochoa into your family.