DIRECTORS NOTE

After shooting several films across Europe, the USA and Russia, I wanted to discover new horizons and to face new challenges. «Dirty Paradise» comes as an answer to my previous films, my trilogy against extremism, the extreme right-wing skinheads or the neo-nazis «Skin or Die», «Skinhead Attitude» and «White Terror». This time I wanted to make a documentary with a different approach one which empathizes with the characters.

I was able to establish a trusting relationship with the Indians while following them during a four years preparation period, and by living amogst them every summer in their villages. Gradually, they confided in the film crew and expressed their feelings of helplessness in face of the economic development that is consuming them and their land.

This film is original because it was written and developed with Parana, Aïma and Tassikalé, natives of the Taluwen village, and with Akama and Mélanie of the Kayodé village. Through speaking out, the Wayana Indians provide a deeper insight into the isolation and suffering they are experiencing and in particular their determination to fight back.

«Dirty Paradise» is a film about a place in the world which is collapsing. It was through ignoring the exotic clichés that we developed this project: by letting the Indians speak out and by working on the script with them. This time we chose to make a documentary with them and not solely about them. With this documentary, we wanted to avoid the traps of an over demonstrative film which manipulates. We tried to find a good distance, neither too close nor too far, respectful of our characters. We chose to exclude exaggerated scenes which provoke emotion and use psychology.

In the tragic fate of these people, there is something universal, which corresponds to David versus Goliath, a minority which confronts overwhelming challenges: the supranational power of a globalized economy. It’s today on this small piece of European territory in the Amazonia where this act of globalization is occurring and is showing its ugliest face.
One significant question that this film poses is: « why doesn’t France do more to help these Indians». Is it because they are too far from Paris or Brussels? Or is it because the economic stakes are so high that the authorities are silenced?

Indeed, there have already been several TV documentaries broadcasted about Guyana and its' gold-seekers. Every time however, these Indians were largely missing from these prying, somewhat fabricated reports.

We were lucky to find the images and the archival footage made by Dominique Darbois and his fellow workers during their travels to the region in 1952.