Morales assassins: Bolivia gang "fought in Balkans"

[Jan Klimkowski]

O'Donnell's last piece of work, The Pipe, followed the lives of the people opposed to Shell over a two-year period in his native Co Mayo. The film won a clutch of awards and was sold to 25 broadcasters around the world. RTÉ wasn't interested in that film, and also showed little interest in Bolivian Escapade.

What distinguished The Pipe was that it was very short on politics and commentary. This approach to telling a story in a neutral manner is also a feature of Bolivian Escapade, in which the facts are assembled and told by negotiating between all the various vested interests here, Romania, Hungary, and in the South American country.

What emerges is a picture of a young Irishman who, in the best traditions of the wandering impulse of the national psyche, went in search of a little adventure.

Documentary filmmaking techniques are an area of deep personal and professional interest to me.

Extensive practical experience and reflection leads me to say, without any hesitation, that film rushes can be used to tell almost any story the filmmaker wants to tell.

It also leads me to say that the technique known as "fly on the wall", or pure observation without intervention by the filmmaker, is a fraud.

The view and perspective of the filmmaker is ALWAYS present in the final film.

"Neutral" filmmaking is a copout and lie.