The Children of Cateura

One community. One landfill. One orchestra of hope.

Instruments made from what others throw away

On the outskirts of Asunción, the capital of Paraguay, a mountain of trash dominates the horizon. In Cateura, a neighborhood on the edge of one of the country’s largest landfills, children grow up amidst poverty, violence, and few prospects. Many families make a living by sorting through other people’s waste. And yet, in this unlikely place, something extraordinary has emerged: a music school and an orchestra where children and teenagers play instruments made from discarded materials. Violins made from paint cans, cellos from oil drums, violas from baking trays, forks, and spoons.

Over several months, the film follows six children and teenagers in their daily lives between family, school, and orchestra rehearsals. Their life stories are as diverse as their dreams. Alexander, who experienced bullying and violence as a child, finds a place of acceptance in music. Maximilian wants to show the world that his neighborhood is more than just poverty and crime. Ayelen, who is being raised by her grandmother, dreams of one day studying music in Europe. Analia, Joseline, and Mathias are each looking for their own place in life, for independence, recognition, and a future they can shape themselves.

Music gives them strength and opens up opportunities that are anything but a given in their daily lives. Suddenly, one of these opportunities comes within reach: The Recycled Orchestra of Cateura prepares for a three-month European tour. But not everyone can go. While some leave Paraguay for the first time, board a plane, and perform on major European stages, others stay behind—disappointed, but hoping for a new chance.

For the travelers, an encounter with a foreign world begins. They experience the European winter, the hospitality of strangers, and the applause of audiences in magnificent concert halls. But they also experience homesickness and the feeling of standing between two worlds. After three months, they return to Paraguay, to a daily life that has hardly changed. What has changed, however, is their perspective on their own future.

A central figure in the film is the instrument maker Wilson López. He grew up in poverty himself and spent time sleeping on the streets. His violin was his constant companion. Today, he transforms wood scraps, metal, and discarded everyday objects into instruments for a new generation of children. For him, every instrument is far more than just an object: it is a chance to open a door to the world for a child.

The film does not portray its protagonists as victims of their circumstances, but as young people with their own ideas of who they are and where they want to go. It tells of their families, of solidarity and friendship, of disappointments and new experiences. And of people who refuse to be defined by what they lack.

The Children of Cateura. Music from Trash is a film about dignity, belonging, and self-determination. About the power of music to bring people together and change the way they look at their own lives.

“The world sends us garbage. We send back music.”
Motto of the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura