My Name is Salt

Year after year tens of thousands of Indians wander into the desert to cultivate salt. In the middle of nowhere, captured by the infinite horizon and brutal sun, the cracking soil turns into mud which produces salt crystals. The salt collectors, working in a hypnotic rhythm, challenge nature while molding the earth with the help of their primeval methods. The desert becomes the home of these working families and their everyday life appears to be more than simple in the eyes of the western salt consumer. My Name Is Salt is a story of the perpetual meaning of work for humans, its necessity and heaviness. Together the Indian director Farida Pacha and cinematographer Lutz Konermann turn grey dust into warm colours and strong panoramas. This film shows that salt cultivation is much more than just a livelihood; it is an exchange between people and nature. Nature gives but it also takes: after eight months of hard work, the monsoon rains arrive and wipe away all traces of human labour.
Text: Saara Tamminen / Translation: Anniina Hautakoski (DocPoint)