How do you survive on the margins of capitalism? Join us for the first event in our new series The Foragers with a screening of Up on the Mountain (2022, dir. Olivier Matthon and Michael Reis) a powerful documentary following three groups of commercial mushroom pickers as they travel the “mushroom circuit” across North America.
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, in conversation with FORAGENCY team members Benoît Henriet and Alice Vittoria.
Practical information
Tuesday, 21 October, 2025 – 7 PM to 9.30 PM
Cinema RITCS
Antoine Dansaertstraat 70
1000 Brussels
€8, €4 discount rate for students, €6 for RITCS staff, RITCS alumni, job seekers, and seniors (65+). Free for Cineville ticket holders
Program
19:00 – Introduction
19:15 - Film screening
20:45 - Discussion with Olivier Matthon and Benoît Henriet, moderated by Alice Vittoria
21:30 - End
Tickets
Tickets are available online through the Cinema RITCS website for € 8, with a discounted rate of € 4 for students and € 6 for RITCS staff, RITCS alumni, job seekers, and seniors (65+). Cineville ticket holders can attend for free but must still reserve a ticket.
Image credit: still from Up on the Mountain (2022, dir. Olivier Mathon and Michael Reis