by Eva van Roekel and Floor de Bie

Imagine that you have to ‘prove’ your love in the form of documents, photos, tickets, and receipts. This is what our protagonists Dion (Dutch) and Jenny (Colombian) are doing to obtain a Dutch residence permit for Jenny. Since a few months they are following the Belgium route: they have decided to live 50 meters across the Belgian border to circumvent strict Dutch migration law. After an initial leap forward, they are now lost in incomprehensible Belgian and Dutch rules and European laws. Do they control the course of life, or is it all an illusion?

Paper Paradise is an ‘immersive route’ consisting of two parts: an audio tour and the screening of a 30” documentary. With our interactive project we want to stimulate reflection about bizarre consequences of bureaucracy and the illusion of freedom in modern life.

Audiotour structure

The audio tour leads you through several public spaces, while you immerse yourself in Jenny’s everyday world by listening to her thoughts, memories and soundscapes from home. The documentary will be screened at the final destination of the audio tour. The film follows the Belgium route process of Dion and Jenny, which deals with their comical struggles with modern bureaucracies and borders.

The protagonists of Paper Paradise are still following the Belgium route. For this reason we have decided to not show them on screen yet.

Watch the trailers here:

Floor de Bie is a filmmaker with a background in anthropology and journalism. Eva van Roekel is anthropologist and filmmaker with a background in Latin American Studies.