The Sky Above, The Mud Below
( Le Ciel et la Boue )

Pierre-Dominique Gaisseau
1959 - 83 min - France

"Le Ciel et la boue" (The Sky Above - The Mud Below), which received the Academy Award for Documentary Feature in 1961, follows French filmmaker Pierre-Dominique Gaisseau’s 1959 expedition through the island of New Guinea. The seven-month adventure exposed a marked contrast between the superb aerial photography made possible by the technology of the outside world, and the seemingly "prehistoric" rituals of the indigenous population.

Expédition | Nouvelle-Guinée


Author-Director : Pierre-Dominique Gaisseau
Photography : Georges Arnstam
Sound : Herve de Maigret
Delegate Producer : Ardennes Films
Co-producer : Marc Boureau, Société parisienne de Cinéma, Arthur Cohn
Co-producer : Michael Arthur Film Productions

Distribution


Distributor : Ardennes Films
Not commercial Distribution : ADAV
DVD Editing : Chiloé Productions

Distinctions

1961 - Festival de Cannes, Cannes (France) : Compétition longs métrages