Clean Hands

At La Chureca, a massive dump in Nicaragua, young Manuel, Zulema, Chico and Edgar wait eagerly for the dump trucks, hoping to find left over food. They work alongside their demanding mother, pulling out any usable discards in order to salvage an existence. Everything they know is this life of extreme poverty until an American philanthropist steps in and buys them a modest home with land to farm. With the kids in school for the first time, can they catch up to their peers, even with the new duties of farming? Can the family handle the demands of this new life, or will old habits pull them apart? Filmed over seven years, this movie captures a family's struggles and growth, betrayals and complications, tears and celebrations. (Cinequest Festival)