Touch of the Blue Crocodile
My most complex project to- date. A 93 minute feature documentary on interrelation of wild crocodiles and local people on Mexican Pacific coast. Filmed in a period of 4 years, put together in a crew of 2, myself and the director Petr Tomaides.
www.TouchOfTheBlueCrocodile.com
Synopsis
The American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) was almost exterminated in Mexico in the sixties, due to intensive hunting. Today, only one-tenth of its population survives The loss of natural habitat forces the crocodiles to ever closer contact with humans.
ON THE BACKGROUND OF LEGEND about the blue crocodile, our documentary reveals true stories of crocodiles and people. What is everyday life next to such creatures like? What is it like to touch a crocodile? From crocodile god to crocodiles swim- ming in sewers. On one side people’s lives destroyed by a crocodile bite, on the other those, who put their lives in danger to protect them. Unbelievable for most, but every- day reality on the Mexican Pacific coast. The documentary challenges the simplified perception of crocodiles as cold- blooded assassins and offers a surprising, thought-inspiring ending.
Review
Touch of the Blue Crocodile is a movie that crosses the boundaries of a documentary, or at least the boundaries we are used to. These however are not the only limits it exceeds. Although filmed by professionals, it was created without a large budget. Moreover, this is a movie where the principal character is a crocodile and yet it is more about people than animals.
… The documentary, besides showcasing carefully chosen interviews with perhaps all Mexican crocodile specialists, brings above all a great amount of splendid images. Exaggerating only a little, we could talk about visual insatiability, partly influenced by the music video aesthetics, which is after all where director Tomaides comes from… … On the other hand, thanks to this insatiability, this movie is based more on image than on “speaking heads”. … It also brings a number of funny moments in sync with the audio, the camera doesn’t fear to venture underwater and we are even treated to an animation. .. The American crocodile isn’t any small fry and grows to 18 www.touchofthebluecrocodile.com ft. length. Even so, the specialists know how to overcome and trap him. In such moments precisely, the documentary shows its most unique and strongest side. Thanks to the fact that both authors participate in the situation and have become members of the crocodile rescue team, they manage to draw the viewer into the action and transmit the drama of face to face encounter with a wild predator… … In short, it intentionally strives to be different from the usual Discovery Channel format or from what we imagine under the – a tad sterile – words “nature documentary”…
– Ecolist, December 2012 –