Ashes From The Sky

Directed By: José Antonio Quiroz
Cast: Celso Bugallo, Gary Piquer, Clara Segura, Fran Sariego
Country: Spain
Runtime: 92’
Language: Spanish with English subtitles
Year of Production: 2008

The camper van of hippie-ish travel journo, Scot Pol Ferguson, breaks down in a town in Asturias, northern Spain, which lies in the shadow of a huge power station. Forced to stay in town while the repairs are carried out, Pol falls in with local farmer Federico who tells Pol how pollution generated by the plant is affecting local crops and livestock. Federico believes this is also the reason his nephew, Mario, is unable to have children.

Federico clings to the belief that the Kyoto Protocol will solve the problem, and checks the papers each morning to see whether the station has been closed down. But he's up against local interests -- the station is the area's main source of work. But Federico's obsession is driven by more than just ecological concerns.

Ashes from the Sky is about the love of nature and the inability of man to conquer the forces of development.