Director’s Statement
The creativity of the two farmers was really impressive. First shot in Africa in a very remote area. It was something very new for me. I could see the farmer was not a poor victim, he just needed more logistical support in order to be more resilient. But these guys are in the middle of nowhere, yet, so innovative and so strong. I realized that the image of farmers we have in Europe, of poor and vulnerable people isn’t realistic.
When I went to Normandie to photograph the French farmer, I thought it would be easier because we were in a European country. But it was tougher than in Africa. I had never seen someone work that much. Antoine was waking up at 4 am and working until 10 pm. I did not know it could be physically so demanding.
We thought it would be nice to compare and contrast the rural reality in countries with different levels of development. In the end we realized that their daily lives in Ivory Coast and France were very similar and that they had a lot in common.