FRENCH POLYNESIA

French Polynesia is an underwater paradise like there is no other. Some say fifty shades of blue.
My Odyssey through these islands and atolls is one of the most spectacular diving expeditions I had the chance to do.
A crystal clear water, hundreds of different reef fish species, corals and pelagic, to sum up : an exceptional beauty both in terms of flora and fauna.
French Polynesia is known as the largest shark santuary in the world, probably the only place in the world where you can see 6 species of sharks in a single dive.

FRENCH POLYNESIA is the second part of the triptych of subaquatic poems "Blue Paradises"

  • Olivier Bourgeois
    Director
    HERE TO STAY, THE OATH OF CYRIAC, THE RED SEA, GALAPAGOS, BLUE PARADISES
  • Olivier Bourgeois
    Producer
    HERE TO STAY, THE OATH OF CYRIAC, THE RED SEA, GALAPAGOS, BLUE PARADISES
  • Franck Meyer
    Producer
    THE OATH OF CYRIAC, THE RED SEA, GALAPAGOS, BLUE PARADISES
  • Franck Meyer
    Editor
    THE OATH OF CYRIAC, THE RED SEA, GALAPAGOS, BLUE PARADISES
  • FLY&DIVE
    Production Company
    THE RED SEA, GALAPAGOS, BLUE PARADISES
  • Olivier Bourgeois
    Writer
    THE RED SEA, GALAPAGOS, BLUE PARADISES
  • Franck Meyer
    Writer
    THE RED SEA, GALAPAGOS, BLUE PARADISES
  • Hans Johnson
    Composer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Experimental, Short, Web / New Media
  • Runtime:
    4 minutes 33 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 20, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Andorra
  • Country of Filming:
    French Polynesia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital 4K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • International Underwater Film Festival Belgrade
    Belgrade
    Serbia
    December 25, 2021
    International Premiere
    Official Selection
  • GALATHEA 6th Festival International du Monde Marin
    Hyères
    France
    November 21, 2021
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • HUFF 2nd Edition
    Houston, Texas
    United States
    April 2, 2022
    North American Premiere
    Official Selection
  • HUFF 2nd Edition
    Houston, Texas
    United States
    April 4, 2022
    North American Premiere
    Second Prize AWARD / Feature Length Films Category
  • SEA Film Festival
    La Spezia
    Italy
    May 28, 2022
    Italian Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Paris Shark Fest 2022
    Paris
    France
    September 16, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Canadian Cinematography Awards
    Toronto
    Canada
    August 11, 2022
    Award Winner / Best Underwater Cinematography
  • San Diego UnderSea Film Exhibition
    San Diego, California
    United States
    October 1, 2022
    North American Premiere
    Official Selection
  • New York Cinematography AWARDS (NYCA)
    New York City, New York
    United States
    November 30, 2022
    Award Winner / Best Underwater Cinematography & Best Documentary Cinematography
  • Neum underwater film festival
    Neum, Herzegovina
    Bosnia and Herzegovina
    August 19, 2022
    Bosnian Premiere
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Olivier Bourgeois

Olivier started his career as a commercial TV producer for major companies. In 2004 his passion for culture and the environment led him to produce, direct and write the first opus of the documentary trilogy "HERITAGE". The feature documentary "HERE TO STAY" (Original title « Nous Resterons sur Terre ») which takes an uncompromising look at the state of the Earth, was co-produced with the French film studio GAUMONT FILM COMPANY. Starring Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Mikhail Gorbachev and Wangari Maathai, environmentalist James Lovelock and Philosopher Edgar Morin, the film has been released in 25 countries with support from UNESCO and UNEP. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1149600/

In 2015, Olivier has created and developed an audio-visual archive bringing together an unprecedented number of testimonies from archaeologists, museum curators and guards who have contributed significantly to the protection and rescue of Syrian Heritage since the start of the armed conflict in 2011. During his many stays in Syria, he wrote, directed and produced the second film of the "HERITAGE" trilogy. Based on the unbelievable true story of ordinary people saving the antique collections of the Aleppo Museum during the war, the multi-award-winning docu-drama "THE OATH OF CYRIAC" was completed in September 2021.
https://theoathofcyriac.com/

Since 2017, Olivier has devoted a large part of his time and energy to raising public awareness about the protection of the oceans through the poetic underwater series "BLUE PARADISES".

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I worked on this triptych of subaquatic poems to attempt to raise the awareness of the public to the beauty of the oceans (and their protection), always keeping in mind the famous sentence of Commander Cousteau: "We love what has amazed us, and we protect what we love". I chose 3 of the most legendary underwater wonders to compose the "Blue Paradises" 3-part Odyssey : THE RED SEA, FRENCH POLYNESIA AND THE GALAPAGOS