Paweł Pawlikowski Exec Produces ‘Silver,’ Natalia Koniarz Debuts Clip

Paweł Pawlikowski, the filmmaker behind Oscar winner “Ida” and Oscar nominated “Cold War,” has executive produced Natalia Koniarz’s documentary “Silver” about Bolivia’s highest silver mine and its never-ending tunnels. 

“It’s a sensory and poetic experience. It brings images from the depths with remarkable clarity,” he said about a Polish-Norwegian-Finnish co-production led by Warsaw-based Telemark. “It’s brutal, hypnotic and profoundly humane.”

“Silver” is shot by Stanisław Cuske, currently at work on Pawlikowski’s upcoming drama “1949” with Sandra Hüller, depicting writer Thomas Mann (Hanns Zischler) and his daughter Erika as they embark on a road trip in still-reeling Germany. 

“ ‘Silver’ changed how I think about cinematography in documentary films,” Cuske said.

“At the time I was working on Jonathan Glazer’s ‘The Zone of Interest’ as a camera operator, setting up the cameras placed inside the main character’s house. They were meant to show reality as it is. Observe, not impose.” Koniarz also “wanted to look from the sidelines, but still be close,” he stressed.

“It was a big responsibility, because we knew there would be no classical dramaturgy. The story would be told through image and sound. This made me wonder: ‘How can we tell it from the perspective of the people we film, rather than from our own? How can the camera stay intimate without forcing emotion’?”

The film debuts an exclusive clip here:

They ended up at the foot of Bolivia’s Cerro Rico, “a mountain that eats men,” by accident, stuck in the country during the pandemic – a predicament which also brought about doc “Postcards From the Verge.” Miners live there with their families, plagued by poverty, underground accidents and violent thieves who threaten the well-being of their children. Average life expectancy is 40. 

“We arrived there with Stanisław battered and in poor condition after many months in the Andes, but it actually helped us. It was our way in – that and perseverance. We lived there and went into the mines alongside the locals, but I could always leave and go home. They couldn’t. This asymmetry remains – it cannot be overcome by any gesture of solidarity,” added Koniarz. 

While also referencing local devil-worship – which, it is believed, can keep the miners safe – nothing was “staged or beautified” in the film, and the conditions underground were tough. 

“It was hot [in the mine], reaching up to 55 degrees Celsius, and there was dust everywhere. We only used mining headlamps and our pace depended on the height of the tunnel,” noted Cuske. 

“If there’s beauty, it belongs to this vast underground place and to the courage of the people and children who grow up around it. I hope the audience doesn’t notice our technique, but feels as if they have laced up miners’ boots and taken a step forward.”  

He also worked with Pawlikowski on 2025 short “Muse” – that’s when Koniarz, also his partner, met the acclaimed director. 

“I contacted Paweł because I value his precision and ethical approach. I also like his documentaries. He has made several, but I particularly enjoy returning to ‘Dostoevsky’s Travels,’” she said. 

“He’s provided specific feedback on the sound, narration and title. Having worked on the film for several years, I needed a critical eye. This support was important to me at the time. It was also the moment when [editor] Yael Bitton and I lost our friend, Ilkka Vehkalahti. He was one of the co-producers and his company had been hugely influential for me.” 

“I knew I didn’t want any commentary or off-screen narration, and that the film shouldn’t follow one protagonist. The image and sound had to convey its meaning. This required discipline as well as many days underground, and as many days just sitting, listening and waiting for something to happen.”

She was afraid for Cuske during the challenging shoot – “He looked through the lens; I looked at his feet” – as well as for the local children who continued to explore the mine alone, sometimes making her feel powerless. 

“You live with these people, you become friends with them, you witness their suffering and violence, but you can’t change it or react. My reaction to someone else’s suffering could have consequences when I’m no longer there.”

She added: “I constantly confronted my own beliefs and prejudices in order to find an insider’s perspective.”