Interview: Francine Lusser

Gael Metroz makes a stunning debut with this documentary that traces a Swiss traveller and writer Nicolas Bouvier’s route from Geneva all the way to Sri Lanka. While a lot has changed since the peaceful times of the 50’s, Metroz has to leave Bouvier’s course to find the essence of Bouvier and the region he loved and wrote about that made Metroz and many others to dream about. Metroz narrates his stunningly filmed footage through many places Bouvier travelled with great affection and insight that makes this film outstanding. The documentary also offers a different picture of the region in the news despite the ordeals of the three decades of war. Gael wasn’t present at San Franciso Film Festival because he’s currently shooting a film in Pakistan about the Kalash people that are featured in the film. I met with the producers Francine Lusser and Gérard Monier.

Yama Rahimi: How did you get involved with this project? At what stage?
Francine Lusser: It was actually at beginning. A mutual friend introduced us to Gael Metroz before he left to shoot the film. We kept in touch through email whenever he could while travelling to get the funding.

YR: How long did Gael prepare for the trip?
FL: While Gael was making the film “Rimbaud’s Africa”, he got malaria. That’s when he read Nicolas Bouvier’s “L’Usage du Monde” which inspired him to trace his route. After he finished the film, he left to make “Nomad’s Land”.

YR: How long did he take him to shoot the film?
FL: 14 months shooting alone. He came back with 150 hours of footage. He would mail the footage to his house whenever he could.

YR: Did he face any difficulties travelling to Iran and Pakistan?
FL: No since he was travelling by himself. It wasn’t like he was with a film crew that would draw attention. He’s also very connected with the people so he has friends in the region. Gael doesn’t go and start shooting. First he establishes a connection with the people and gives them the camera. Once they are comfortable, he will film them with their permission. That way he build up a network of people that know him.

YR: Well he travels to places that most people wouldn’t make, so it allows people to make it cinematically.
FL: Right. It’s not an easy travel to make as you see in the film. The great thing about Gael is that he does the whole production himself everything from camera and sound to planning and story. We had a great editor that helped edit the film but everything else was done by Gael.

YR: It’s great. His talent is evident. Cinema in its purest form in a way.
FL: Sometimes he would run out of batteries and he would stop shooting until he found a place he could charge them. So he was alone all the way. It wasn’t the traditional way of making films. You can do films like this only with people like Gael.