THE DEVIL'S MINER follows two brothers, 14-year-old Basilio and 12-year-old Bernardino, who live in poverty with their mother in the mountains of Bolivia. They work long shifts in the Cerro Rico silver mines, braving deadly conditions to earn enough money to attend school.

Through the children's eyes, we encounter the sixteenth century mine, where devout Catholics must sever their ties with God each time they enter the shafts, because of the ancient belief that the devil, as represented in the hundreds of statues constructed in the tunnels, determines the fate of all who work there.

Raised without a father, the boys assume many adult responsibilities and must work to afford the clothing and supplies vital to their education. Basilio believes only the mountain devil's generosity will allow them to earn enough money to continue the new school year. Without an education, the brothers have no chance to escape their destiny in the silver mines.

"Formally beautiful, a work of cinema." - FIPRESCI

"The world so beautifully photographed in THE DEVIL'S MINER--with its festivals, folkloric dances and folk art devils--seems conjured from the magic realism of Gabriel
Garcia Marquez, except for the unbelievably harsh odds facing the boy miners who narrate the tale." - L.A. Times

"A study in courage [and] an unforgettable journey through hell under the earth, where Satan is worshipped as king. Captures both the claustrophobic mine shafts and exceptionally beautiful images of mountains and sky, making [the film] a memorable visual experience." - Variety

"Fascinating, powerful...brilliantly portrays (Basilio and Bernadino's) claustrophobia and trepidation, moving through tight, candle-lit tunnels as they run to avoid passing carts, lifting up their awed faces as they listen for hazardous blasts and staring at the eyes of the devil." - DOX Documentary Film Magazine