Two grandmas vs. a city that throws them away. Who's really trash here?
María and Isabel are two women in their fifties who, like many others, recycle in Quito, where there is no recycling system. María leads a collective fight for basic labor rights; while Isabel transmits her knowledge of environmental care while she raises her daughters.
Direction
Rodas lets María and Isabel own every frame—no voiceover savior complex.
Cinematography
Quito's volcanic light makes dignity look cinematic.
Director
Paola Rodas
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Quito's informal recyclers—pepenadores—handle 30% of city waste with zero institutional support. This film is practically their first close-up.
Rodas spent three years embedded, rejecting the poverty-porn template. The women's agency isn't framed—it's surrendered to them entirely.
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