In the village of Galmi in Niger a young couple, Salamatou and Adamou, have been waiting for two years to get married. Their fate, like that of everyone else in their village, is dictated by the growing and selling of what is, after Uranium, Niger’s second biggest export – the onion. Most endeavours in this part of the world – including weddings - are dependent on the successful cultivation of the purple bulbs (violets de Galmi) and on the fluctuating prices set by the often unscrupulous traders from neighbouring countries. Yaro has been working hard to grow and sell enough onions at a good price to pay for his daughter’s wedding, but he hasn’t yet been able to manage. The groom’s family is getting impatient and the gossip in the village is spreading. The date of the wedding is set for January but what will the harvest bring? Born and raised in Galmi and a trained agriculturist, the director Sani Magori gives us an insight into the culture of onion farming. He shows its rhythms, the economics that surround it and its close association with peoples’ personal lives.

Prix Jean Rouch, Niamey, Niger 2008

Santosh, Sameer and Salman – three real-life 'slumdogs' - live in Mumbai and earn their living scavenging rubbish in Dharavi, Asia’s biggest slum. They are among the millions of child ragpickers in the city. Their carefree attitude contrasts sharply with the struggles and health hazards of their daily existence. Barefoot, the boys comb through the mountains of rubbish on the outskirts of the Indian metropolis that generates 8000 metric tons of waste every day. They have no protection against the dangerous toxins that surround them. At age thirteen the savvy Santosh, aka the Scientist, is the sole breadwinner in his family. The resourceful youngsters know exactly how many Rupees each plastic bottle or tin can is worth. In the giant, unofficially-run recycling centre they are paid according to the weight of rubbish they have collected. But soon the waste facility will close. What will happen to Santosh and his friends then when their chances of becoming Slumdog Millionaires are slim to none?