Salgado: the eye of the planet

Of Brazilian origin but French by heart, the photographer Sebastião Salgado is the main witness of our time. He looks at the world with a political eye. The documentary The salt of the earth is a tribute to his career.

Facing earth and poverty

Released on October 15th, The salt of the earth is a documentary divided between three voices. The first is the voice of friend and director WimWenders. The second is the one of his son Juliano Salgado, who joined his father on his last trips. The last is Sebastião Salgado's own voice, who takes a look back at his work.

The documentary has been released in Cannes in 2014 and won the Special Award "Un certain regard".

Birth of a photographer

Salgado was born in 1944 in Brazilian Minas Gerais, a region of mines and forests. He fled from the Brazilian dictatorship at 25 years old. He found shelter in Paris and studied in the Écolenationale de la statistiqueet de l’administrationéconomique (ENSAE). He soon decided to become a photographer. France then became his second homeland.

Photography as a witness

Since 1980, Salgado explores our planet for major press agencies. He captured major human conflicts and crisis of the late 20th century.

In 2000, he came back to Brazil to reforest the lands of his childhood. His pictures now bear witness to major ecological issues: they explore the beauty of our planet, but also its fragility.