Film short abstract:

Minding Sand follows the sand mining industry in Sierra Leone and the struggles associated with managing resource extraction. It aims to show the complex entanglements involved in both the making and unmaking of beaches, reminding us how ecological and social concerns are inextricably interwoven.

Film long abstract:

The film Minding Sand follows the sand mining industry on the beaches of Sierra Leone and the struggles associated with managing resource extraction. Sand is a key ingredient in many construction materials, most notably concrete. It’s cheap, abundant, and easy to extract. Despite its critical role, sand is not typically regarded as valuable, seemingly everywhere, and has not received the same attention as other forms of resource extraction.

The mining of sand, combined with melting ice caps, urbanisation, and natural erosion, creates the conjunction that leads to the fast disappearance of beaches. How do miners navigate a city’s demand for concrete while facing an eroding beach?

The film tries to unravel the complex ties and entanglements involved in both the making and unmaking of beaches, reminding us how ecological and social concerns are inextricably interwoven. It shows how miners and fishermen alike are deeply connected to and in constant dialogue with their environment as they strive to protect the future of both the beach and the industry that it provides.