Trail runner and activist Felipe Cancino takes us on a 120 km run through the Maipo River Valley—revealing along the way the impacts of the Alto Maipo hydropower project on the local ecosystem, its communities and traditions; and the threat it poses to the water supply of Santiago’s 7.1 million residents.
This film takes us to the heart of the Andes Mountains in Central Chile, where the Maipo River runs through El Cajón del Maipo and provides water to the 7.1 million people living in the city of Santiago, and supports the communities, the ecosystem and the traditions of this valley. But the river is currently threatened by the Alto Maipo hydroelectric project. Local trail runner and activist Felipe Cancino runs 120 kilometers (75 miles) with over 5,800 meters (19K feet) of elevation gain while tracing the route of the Alto Maipo pipelines. On his traverse, Felipe reveals how the project is altering the course of the river, causing small towns and traditions to disappear, endangering Santiago’s water supply and forever impacting the natural environment of this valley. Corriendo para salvar una Cuenca (Run to Save a Watershed) shows us the true value of this ecosystem and the high costs of the country’s development system. Will Chile choose a different path?