Dicing with Death

Lake Tannganyika in Tanzania, East Africa, is the biggest in the world, and is remarkably beautiful. The Tanzanians have two options to cross it: 20 hours on a pickup truck on a road riddled with potholes or 3 days of sailing on the oldest cargo ship in the world, the Liemba. On track, traders try to reach the market but torrential rain disrupts the route. The captain struggles to maintain order.

It's very difficult to locate East Timor on a map. This small island tries to escape from its isolation by staying connected to the outside world, but resources are virtually nonexistent. The only option is a rocky track, often flooded during rainy season and even the slightest error could prove fatal. After a 10 hour trip, a reward is not always guaranteed, but this is the price of survival.

Australia is the second most developed country in the world; especially in the south and west, whilst the rest of the country remains wild and untamed. To connect these two worlds, giant trucks called road trains relentlessly tackle the most remote roads and tracks on the continent. It is here that members of the Yolngu tribe have kept their cultures and customs alive for more than 50,000 years.

For Bassunga and his men, the tree-lined road is full of obstacles. Without any safety protection, they cut down around twenty trees every few minutes for meagre wages. This activity is completely illegal in Mozambique, but brings money to the traffickers, who send the wood to China in order to meet the huge demand. For the travellers however, the roads of Mozambique quickly transform into hell.

In Kazakhstan, the inhabitants have adapted to withstand all of nature's challenges. This film takes us into the centre of a snowstorm where thousands of travellers find themselves caught in an enormous traffic jam. We meet farmers who rely on hostile land. The Aral Sea, now completely dried out, has given place to a desert made up of sand, salt, and dust that's toxic to the inhabitants.

From the north to the south of Peru, deep canyons cut into the Andes cordillera. People who need to supply gold mines, cultivate vines or simply regain access to their villages, must embark on the most unlikely of roads. From the Maranon River to the Cotahuasi canyon, to the Paracas desert, this Impossible Road takes us through the magnificent landscapes of Peru, where life comes at a high price..

In North-West Myanmar, the mountainous part of the country, moving around is an adventure. The state of the roads is a serious handicap for inhabitants, but it has allowed the country to preserve its beauty, authenticity and traditions. Khampi faces the dangerous tracks and Sokna is carrying on an ancient ritual: the kiss of death. A journey into the heart of Myanmar, far from the tourist tracks.