This Stolen Country of Mine

Two men fight against the growing and far-reaching Chinese influence in Ecuador. Paúl Jarrín leads the indigenous resistance against China’s plundering of Ecuador’s natural resources. Journalist Fernando Villavicencio exposes the government corruption that facilitates the Chinese economic takeover. In both cases, the state reacts with full force. 
 
‘We’ve been colonized. Again,’ says journalist Fernando Villavicencio. China’s influence in Ecuador has grown rapidly in recent years. Having made the country dependent on its credit, China secured thousands of contracts with the government. China now has control over essential projects all over the country, from gold and uranium mines to IT and construction. These contracts reach far into the future. 
 
In the stunningly filmed Andes, activist Paúl Jarrín fights alongside indigenous communities whose livelihoods are threatened by the Chinese hunger for natural resources. Growing ever more desperate, the communities prepare for armed battle. In capital Quito, Fernando Villavicencio persistently uncovers the corrupt entanglement of the Ecuadorian government with Chinese economic interests. But when you’re up against a superpower, searching for the truth puts a target on your head. 

This Stolen Country of Mine has been part of the Activist competition 2023, with Paúl Jarrín Mosquera present as a special guest of the festival.