Helen's Blog /

Partir Autrement Festival, took place April 10th and 11th at the Espace Reuilly in Paris and inspires itself on eco-tourism, sustainable development development and adventurous and interpred travelling to unusual countries.

Organised by an association called ABM, which stands for "Aventure du Bout du Monde" (Adventure to the End of the World), its aim is to provide a gathering for sharing travel experiences around the world.

Can we make another form of tourism possible?

Tourism is the leading world activity as it provides 12% of the world's gross income and employs some 200 million persons (8% of the world population).

In the 1950's when there were ten to twenty million tourists, the number has now swelled up to over 900 million. It is predicted that in 2020, the figure will go up to 1600 million.

That is why the carefully selected documentaries, most made at a grass-roots level, all deal with responsible tourism:

Unique adventure experiences, immersion in local, rural and aboriginal communities, solidarity projects, interviews with outstanding and dedicated persons striving to improve ecological conditions in their countries and remedy abuses of nature, such as awardees of the Goldman Prize, expeditions by foot, bicycles, boat, seeking self and spiritual fulfillment within other cultures and oneself.

During the two-day event, ABM had the screenings ending in discussions with their authors, all at hand.

Among some of the remarkable documentaries shown were:

The Forgotten District by Oliver Dickinson.

Between the Caribbean Sea and the Mayan mountains lies Toledo, known as The Forgotten District of Belize, Central America. For the last 20 years, the Maya have been promoting their own ecotourism programe in order to protect their rainforest and traditions. Despite constant opposition from the government, Margarita, Reyes, Chet and their friends remain strong and optimistic. This film is a tribute to their tireless efforts.

The night of the shaman by Vera Fossard (52 min).

Jankiri, a Nepalese shaman lives in an isolated regions of Nepal. After many years in India, he returned to Nepal to take over his father's profession. Now 76, each year he performs for his fellow peasants a special ceremony to bring on success and prosperity for his community. This involves 'searching' the spirit of the ancestors’ in the deep of the forest and capturing it.

Vera, a French documentaries, follows him up the mountain in the dark and sees and experiences some strange phenomena herself... .

Under the stars of the north pole by Hugues de Rosière (52 min).

On a glacier on the Eastern Cost of Greenland called Spitsberg, France and Eric have moored their sailboat and decided to live their for six months with their baby, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by polar bears and ice-bergs.

The heroine relates in fairy-tale fashion, how they met and how they live day-to-day in a 20 square meter cabin, two months of which are spent in darkness.