There was a packed hall in the Salle Communale in Nyon last night as an audience gathered to celebrate 40 years of the film festival. There were interesting anecdotes from the founder, and from others involved with the event on how it all started and has progressed since then. The audience were also there to watch "Persona non Grata".
This film made by Fabio Wuytack tells the story of his father Frans Wuytack, a Belgian priest who lived and worked in the poorest neighbourhoods in the shanty towns of Caracas in the 1960's. Wuytack shared his possessions with many and with those he felt needed them more than him. He was so shocked at the poverty he saw around him, that he began a series of actions making demands from the state, such as education for children, new drains for a fresh water supply etc.
He believed actions spoke louder than words and helped unblock sewers, re-build shanty houses, but eventually his actions were scene as a threat to the authorities and after several arrests he was eventually expelled and went back to live in his native Belgium. In 2000 the ban was lifted in him entering the country and here Fabio takes up the story accompanying his father to Venezuela to film those that remembered him and to recount the story.
The surprise of the evening was the announcement that Frans Wuytack himself was in the audience, so he was called on to the stage to answer questions on his life and the film. Here he used the opportunity to remind everyone of those that were in poverty around the world, showing that his passion and commitment to such issues has not waned.
This film came about because when the director was here in Nyon at Visions du Réel back in 2005, two individuals from the business (one from Taiwan, one from the Netherlands) recognised his talent, so when Fabio pitched the idea of making this film on his father they put up the money up to enable the film to go ahead. This is a fascinating film, superb cinematography, the aerial shots of the shanty towns of Caracas that still exist today, are magnificent and show the scale of the problem at the same time.
The story itself is exciting and one well worth telling. There are often stories like this of filmmakers who start off in a small way but get the opportunity at this festival to pursue their ideas and projects. Catch this film while you can. The film will be repeated tomorrow at 09:00 in the Cinema -Capitole 2 It is 80 minutes long.