What It's About:

On the shores of Lake Victoria, the world's second largest lake and once a thriving ecosystem, impoverished Tanzanians from the countryside eke out a living fishing and processing the predatorial Nile Perch for European markets. As giant cargo planes fly in and out of the country, loaded with fish but carrying nothing into the drought-afflicted region, the desperate rake through old carcasses for food, while others haunt the streets as prostitutes.

Why I Love It:

Sauper's harrowing, Oscar-nominated doc takes us into the sickened heart of Tanzania, where the economy revolves around the processing of Nile perch, a species introduced by foreigners that has entirely devastated Lake Victoria's once-teeming waters. Talking to various locals lured to Dar Es Salaam by the promise of work, as well as Indian plant owners and the Russian pilots who may or may not be illegally shipping arms into the increasingly fragile country, Sauper gives us a powerful glimpse of the grim, grinding cycle of poverty that much of the world lives in - and how that dynamic is fueled by our global economy. This "Nightmare" is truly unforgettable.