WTFF 8 – ExtraWorks Competition
by James Newitt
Documentariy
Portugal, 2025, 36’
O.v. Portuguese. Italian and English subtitles
Italian Première
November 28, 2026, 6.30 PM, Caracol Olol Jackson – Vicenza
Synopsis Through testimonies from local communities of the Douro region of Portugal, Raw Material reflects on different, at times conflicting, notions of value in relation to the landscape and how practices of cultivation, preservation and mining can benefit and affect people. Lithium is a new ‘promise’ of wealth, the white gold that threatens to divide communities and impact the environment.
Director’s bio-filmography James Newitt (1981) is an Australian visual artist and filmmaker based in Lisbon. His practice is research-orientated – bound to a process of public engagement, contextual and historic investigation. He has presented his work in solo and group exhibitions throughout Europe, Australia and in Asia and has won several prizes including the Grant for Media Art of the Stiftung Niedersachsen at the Edith-Russ-Haus (2022).
Excerpt
Directed by James Newitt
Screenplay, Cinematography, Sound, Editing, Sound Editing James Newitt
Music Sara Magno
Production Ci.CLO
Website jnewitt.com