Farida Pacha
writer / director / producer
After obtaining a MFA in filmmaking at Southern Illinois University, USA, Farida Pacha has made several experimental, educational and documentary films. Her documentary The Seedkeepers won the 2006 Indian National Film Award.
My Name is Salt is her first feature length documentary which won her among many others the First Appearance Award at IDFA 2013, Amsterdam as well as the main prizes at Hong Kong, Madrid and Edinburgh.
cinematographer / producer
A multiple award winning director, screen writer, cinematographer and producer with more than thirty years of work experience, Lutz has been credited on more than a hundred fiction and documentary films, including international co-productions.
The cinematography of My Name is Salt won him the prestigious German Camera Award 2014 as well as the Cinematography Award at the Budapest International Documentary Festival 2014.
editor
A graduate of the Filmakademie in Ludwigsburg, Germany, Katharina has been working as a freelance film editor since 2003. Her recent works include Ein Brief aus Deutschland and Metamorphosen by Sebastian Mez, which both had a highly successful festival career.
Her editing of My Name is Salt was nominated for Best Non-Fiction Editing at the German Camera Award 2014.
composer
Marcel is an award winning music director and composer for film and theatre. He has been composing and producing the score for over 50 fiction and documentary films, winning several awards.
Marcel is the head of the electro-acoustic experimental collective Superterz and owner of the LIFT recording studio in Zurich, Switzerland.
Nice videography ,nice editing,nice sound and A perfect documentary
We indeed like it very very ! Much
I would like to acquire a dvd for this film. Please advice.
Hello Pranay,
We’re so sorry for the late reply!
Should you still be interested in watching Farida Pacha’s award winning film here’s the good news, finally.
“My Name is Salt” has become available online worldwide:
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/mynameissalt2
Additionally, it’s out on Amazon Video @ http://www.amazon.com and http://www.amazon.co.uk!
For views from Switzerland, Germany, Austria please go to
https://www.trigon-film.org/…/vod/collection/My_Name_is_Salt
Best,
Leafbird Films
Hello Farida and Team,
I have watched your documentary, I would like to congratulate to you all for highlighting life of people working so hard to extract salt.
Thanks,
Krunal
Great Work Team “mynameissalt”…
They r Real Heroes… Engineers…
Awesome…
Fascinating story.
What is the purpose of the grass? Is it to serve as a way for the salt crystals to start forming?
All the salt is contained in the water that is pumped out? What is the festival that the family goes to near the end?
Is the old man the father of the main character?
Thanks
Hello Christopher,
Thanks a lot for your feedback and your interest in our film. As far as the grass is concerned, you perfectly understood its purpose! And yes, the salt is contained in the saline ground water, in the seabed sediments that are washed out by the monsoon rains. The festival is an annual event, specific to that temple in the desert. And the old man, Ghuabha, is the protagonist’s uncle.
Best regards
Absolutely beautiful telling of this story. This is why I love documentary film so much. Excellent work.
Bryan David Hall
Thank you!
Touching and exceptionally great documentary. A 10/10. Shows the real value of the salt we eat and how much blood and sweat equity is involved. Thank you for such an eye opening documentary. I value and enjoy my salt more knowing how much has gone into it to get to the table.
Thank you, Anand. Much appreciated.
This is a powerful, moving, lyrical and beautiful documentary film. I will never again take for granted the salt that I use in my meals! I had no idea how much hard labor goes into this!
Despite the harsh conditions and obviously back-breaking work, the true humanity and sense of grace and acceptance are also reveled through these these remarkable people Thank you so much! Melissa
PS: If you haven’t seen Bab’A Azizz I think you’d really like this one!
Thank you for your kind words, Melissa. Will check out your recommendation asap.
I have just finished watching My Name is Salt on Prime. What an absolutely fascinating documentary! I would love to know more about this. They bury all of the equipment several feet in the mud after each harvest? Why do their feet and hands not crack open from all the salt? I LOVED this. The simplicity of the film is so mesmerizing and beautiful! I feel as though I know this beautiful family now. I’m so glad that it has been made available to us. Congratulations to all involved for showing us another slice of life from across the world!
Thank you!
Thank you, Carolyn! So glad you enjoyed.
This documentary was so telling and beautiful. Thank you.
Thank you, Ramit! Happy that the film found you.
So glad that you chose to let the film speak for itself and not have the obligatory narration. Kept me completely riveted. A couple of more screenshots in the epilogue giving more information would be nice. For example, what percentage of the final product price goes to a typical salt mining worker.
Hi Srinivas, happy that you liked the film. As for the revenue, the family produces approximately 1’600 tons of raw salt in a good season and is paid roughly 300’000 Rupees for the total. But from that they have to pay the diesel and all other expenses like spare parts, personal transport, etc. Now, do your math based on your local price of salt… They earn a pittance and are happy if they don’t increase their debt with the salt trader who advances the payment for their estimated harvest up front.
Stunning and it should give Americans pause on how lucky we are to have salt at our finger tips. I have to ask does anyone know what brand the pumps are and their age? There is not a single modern machine that could be buried under a sea for a year and run. I was flabbergasted at the ingenuity and resolve to make these pumps run! That is what parked my curiosity the most who made those machines?!? I hope the harvest is rich for a millennia for these hardy people.
Thanks, Aaron. Unfortunately, we are unaware of the specific brand of these diesel pumps, while there is a good chance that they are Royal Enfields. In any case, they are very common in the area and seem to be lasting for decades, thanks to the careful treatment given by their owners. 🙂
This was a very compelling film. I’ve never seen an observational documentary before. I look forward to seeing and hearing more works by everyone on the crew. Well done!
Happy that the film reached you! We’ve done another observational documentary on a totally different subject, Watch Over Me, which will be available online soon. Will keep you posted. 🙂
The engines are “LISTER” CS type diesel units, either vintage British or Indian reproductions. From what I could see in the film, the family removes the fuel injector assembly from the engine before they bury it and takes the assembly with them, to be re-installed upon their return, in 4 months time.
These engines have a special combustion chamber design that allows them to be started cold without any glow plug or “hot bulb” starting device.
Riveting documentary- I’ve seen it twice in two days
The size and purity of those crystals is truly impressive
Thanks, Mark, for contributing this interesting tidbit! We’re happy that you enjoyed the film.
Your film is a dreamlike meditation and truly honors this family and all salt workers. It is amazing how deeply I feel connected to these people, a world away from mine, yet all is understood somehow. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched this. I’ve lost count. It has such a calming effect on me and for a little while I can fall in love with a very different way of life that in it’s toil brings a unique sense of peace and wonder. This is a masterpiece.
Thank you very much. So happy to keep inspiring. 🙂