The Mauritania Railway: Backbone of the Sahara

Camels, nomadic Moors, earth movers, and giant dump trucks slope languidly across the screen in this stunningly photographed and hypnotically paced short. Here, director MacGregor deftly captures the lifeline that is the Mauritania Railway running through the gorgeous yet desolate landscape. Opened in 1963 with the sole purpose of transporting one of the country’s many natural resources and its primary export, iron ore, the single train line extends 704 kilometers through the Sahara desert from Zouerat to the port of Nouadhibou. But it is the return trip that has become even more important, as dozens of men brave riding atop dangerous hopper cars to bring back fish and other essential goods much needed by the villages along the train’s lonely path. This graceful, mesmerizing imagery almost belies the harsh reality of the brutal heat and hardtack life of the desert and will stick with you long after the train ride ends. (Full Frame Documentary Film Festival)