'Waste Land' documents the lives of the catadores, garbage pickers who live and work in the world's largest landfill, the Jardim Gramacho in Brazil.

Director Lucy Walker says the film is about the transformative power of art and the beauty of the human spirit the catadores spend their lives quoting Machiavelli, and dreaming of a better life.

'Waste Land' has won Audience Awards at the Sundance, Berlin, Durban, Maui and Provincetown festivals, and Amnesty International Prizes at the Berlin and Durban festivals.

Ms Walker visited Rio de Janeiro's Jardim Gramacho with Brazilian artist Vik Muniz, who crafted works from the garbage found there.

She kept a blog while there, parts of which she shares below.

"Just when you get used to the smell they find a human body, or mention a leprosy epidemic, and the sound man passes out," she wrote.

"But at least it's at sea level after the hell of 23,000 feet for [my documentary] 'Blindsight', I'm relieved to look across at the ocean at all times.

"Across the bay you can see Christ The Redeemer reaching his arms out to the wealthy in Rio's south zone Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon. They say even Christ turns his back on the north of Rio, where we are."

Jardim Gramacho is the only place in Rio where the social extremes mix, she quotes Mr. Muniz as saying.

"The posh rubbish from the south zone with the cheap trash from the favelas.

"Garbage is the negative of consumer culture, it's everything that nobody wants, and when it disappears from everyone's lives, rich or poor, it doesn't disappear at all, it appears here, like a conjuring trick gone wrong," wrote Ms Walker.

She added that the catadores were quick to point out that what's defined as garbage is a matter of opinion.

"Tread carefully, because you are treading on money. On a bad day they make twice minimum wage salvaging cans, bottles, plastics, paper.

"Then somebody finds R$30,000 cash while somebody else finds two headless bodies.

"After carnival they pick out the discarded costumes and wear them as they work. When the airline Varig did a dump everyone dressed up in the air steward outfits and served each other recycled drink bottles.

"That's the most striking thing, the good humour, the sheer fun. These people are having a good time."

Many catadores had limited career choices: prostitution, drug traffic, or garbage.

Half of them sleep in the garbage where they run the risk of being run over by trucks; the other half sleep in the worst favela in town.

"Their garbage-clad open-sewer favela makes the other favelas look like the Amalfi coast, with their brightly-coloured two-storey buildings with twinkling Christmas lights piled up the hillside," Ms Walker wrote.

The contrast between Rio's rich and poor was obvious during her time there, she added.

"I sulk as I head to a delicious dinner in a bulletproof car, I'd rather be with the catadores than these billionaires moaning about the price of contemporary art.

"How competitive the current art market is, because there is just so much money, you have to interview and practically beg for the chance to buy insanely overpriced art works by totally unestablished artists.

"These are the people who are going to buy the art work that Vik is making in the garbage in our charity auction at Phillips.

"And these are the people whose garbage will be part of the piece."

She continued: "When we ask the catadores what they want to do with the money from the auction, they say they're not sure, but their first thought is that they don't really need anything.

"They have everything they need. Richer people are much quicker to tell you what they need money for. I guess the catadores know exactly where most things that people spend money on wind up."

'Waste Land' will screen Saturday at 8.15 p.m. at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute. Tickets are available now at www.bdatix.bm. A trailer from the film can be viewed at www.bermudadocs.com.