About

Set on the west side of Manhattan, Susana Aitkin’s documentary film The Salt Mines follows three Latinx transwomen Sara, Gigi, and Giovanna who have made refuge in an abandoned garbage truck.

Supporting their drug use and hormonal treatment through sex work, the three women make do and get by in this harsh landscape. Following their daily routine Aitkin’s film weaves in personal backstories communicating their complex and nuanced circumstances. The broken garbage truck is located next to the salt deposits used to melt the snow during the winter. Throughout the film, the women are preyed on by ‘well-meaning’ Christians who provide food, warmth and a ‘better life’ through God. Released the same year as the now iconic Paris Is Burning 1990 directed by Jennie Livingston, The Salt Mines paints a stark picture of what life as a trans person of colour in New York City could be like. Read in the context of 'In Queer Time', The Salt Mines shows us that having agency over your temporality is not afforded to everyone in the queer community, the cruel and enduring factors in these women’s lives suppress their temporal mobility.

Ages 15+ | Contains coarse language, drug use and sexual references

Ages 15+