AllMovie

Barrick Gold and Noranda are two of Canada's most successful mining companies, and in their search for precious minerals they have made their way into the peaks of Northern Chile. Barrick and Noranda believe that there's gold in the Huasco Valley near the Andes Mountains, and they've been negotiating with Chilean authorities for the right to mine there. However, the farmers in the Huasco Valley are not happy about these plans; nearby glaciers feed a small network of rivers which allow food to be grown in the arid deserts of Northern Chile, and environmental authorities believe that the mining operations the Canadians have planned could cut off the water, leaving the farmers without crops and the people of the valley without a way of life. Filmmaker Martin Frigon presents a portrait of one community's struggle to survive in Mirages d'un El Dorado (aka Mirages of El Dorado), a documentary that chronicles the battle of the farmers against Barrick and Noranda as well as their own government, along with the corruption that informs the Canadian and Chilean mining firms involved. Mirages d'un El Dorado was an official selection at the 2008 Montreal World Film Festival