PORTRAIT
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HelloMonaco : Your most recent ongoing project ‘ Siberia ’ is about a true adventure through one of the wildest and most mysterious areas of the Russian continent , Siberia , which includes very different ecosystems . Where does this choice come from ?
Luc Jacquet : I have always been attracted by wild environments more so than the civilized and the Russian Far East is an almost unknown location . Before visiting that area , I could barely place Vladivostok geographically . Then I had the chance to meet the writer Cédric Gras , a regular visitor of wildest Russia , who is the author of a book that attracted me the most , ‘ L ’ Hiver aux Trousses ’ ( Winter on your tail ). That was the result of his personal two-month journey from the North end of Siberia to the Sea of Japan where he got in touch with local people while having to use every type of means of transport , car , train , aeroplane and boats — and feeling completely at ease . That poetic approach allowed him to experience traditional lifestyles and report it to readers . I really liked his project to the extent that it could be an inspirational source for a new film .
Therefore , I joined him in a wonderful adventure three years ago , crossing the great Baikal area starting from Bodaybo town to the Far East . I literally fell in love with that region of Russia both for its natural and human side : a balanced mixture of cruel savagery , wilderness and vastness which attracted me a lot . Back from the journey , I wondered why such a territory is not as well-known as the American Far West , having a past full of history , from gold researchers to Cossacks , their local ‘ cowboys ’. The greatest explorers passed through that land ! I started thinking how best to set the storytelling through in-depth research on the topic . This year , from August until the end of October , I will be there again for filming including some natural reserves — with an authorized and not very numerous team of members especially where there are access restrictions .
It will be a whistle-stop tour from the wide tundra of the Chukotka region , in the Arctic Circle , to the Southern volcanic Kamchatka , nestled in boundless forests and a remarkable water system , including Kurile Lake , up to Primorsky Krai , the amazing maritime coastal area . It is a thousand-kilometre natural ecosystem where a scientific team and I will be in contact with extraordinary local wildlife . Nowadays , it is quite rare to find an almost unexplored place to discover , suitable to amaze and surprise the audience . Therefore , it was my intention to go directly to those places for shooting the film & documentary showing true images of that environment . In order to make the story even more realistic , about half of the film dialogues will be in Russian , including professional actors and local amateur performers , heirs of their relevant traditional heritage such as the
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Chukchi ’ s . A real challenge presents itself in less than two months .
: Can you reveal something in advance about the motion picture plot ?
LJ : ‘ Siberia ’ is about the fictional story of Vadim , naturalised French orphan who decides in the early 1990 ’ s to return to Russia in search of the traces of his father ’ s passage . His father had disappeared at the end of Stalin ’ s era . It becomes a unique opportunity for Vadim , and his fellow traveller and best friend , Macha , to meet incredible people and have exciting experiences during his long journey .
: Besides your film production , you have created a relevant network of partners strongly linked to the Principality . Can you tell us about the novelty of your economic approach ?
LJ : Travelling so many miles , meeting so many people , investing so much time just to
I do believe that , to have a future on this Planet , we must always share ideas and the ‛ language of cinema ’ is the best way to communicate it .
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