VUB Crosstalks: Up on the Mountain (2022) – Olivier Matthon

Up on the Mountain takes you deep into the forests of the American West. Here, Southeast Asian refugees, Latino immigrants and rural Americans follow the seasonal rhythms of wild mushroom harvesting, forging a way of life rooted in autonomy, community and deep knowledge of the land.

On foot and working across public lands, these foragers navigate life outside mainstream wage labor. Yet despite clear evidence of the harvest’s sustainability, they are repeatedly denied access to the forests they depend on. Director Olivier Matthon exposes the racial and class inequalities embedded in natural resource policies, while shining a light on the resilience and ingenuity of these often invisible communities.

After the screening, join us for a conversation exploring the film’s central themes: informal economies, survival at the edges of capitalism and the politics of access to nature. Director Olivier Matthon will share personal insights from his own life as a mushroom picker and the making of the film, while historian Benoît Henriet (VUB) reflects on foraging and post-colonial dynamics. Anthropologist Alice Vittoria (VUB) will moderate the discussion.