In Papua New Guinea, Hides 4 is named after Jack Hides, the first white explorer to visit the region in 1935, searching for gold but instead discovering gas. From then on, priests and colonists settled there, imposing new laws, gods and languages. In 2009, ExxonMobil arrived to extract the gas. Together with the government, they privatised the valley, promising prosperity to the sixty thousand Hulis who live there. The Hulis gave up their land for shares, turning tribes into companies and dividing the land into parcels. Hides 4, or Lot 4, is now the permanent name of the village, nestling between forested mountains. Close to the factory, the Wabiria family lives on land parcelled out by ExxonMobil, still waiting for their “investment”. The siblings, mirroring the nation, are subjected to pressures reminiscent of Shakespearean dramas, with sibling rivalries and tribal resentments reminiscent of war.

We see this film both as a cinema work and as a political act. It aims to reach several circles. We would like to spark reflection in Western countries on the true costs of the use of natural resources that have become essential to our lifestyles, but that we often take for granted. This film could spur viewers to reflect on our collective responsibility, to take action to denounce environmental and human rights abuses in developing countries. We also hope this film can be useful in the Pacific region to raise questions about the relevance of global and alternative development paths. It is also aimed at communities pressured to enter into the cash economy.