The Borneo Case

In 2000, a Swedish crew made a film about Swiss environmental activist Bruno Manser. They were among the last to see him alive, before he disappeared without a trace in the Malaysian state of Sarawak on May 25 of the same year. We see him with a monkey on his shoulder, and creeping through the forest with a spear in his hand. Along with his best friend Mutang, he organized occupations aimed at stopping large-scale logging operations. Years later, it turns out Mutang has fled to Canada, after having been tortured and imprisoned. He follows developments in his homeland on Radio Free Sarawak, a London-based radio station run by a Malaysian DJ and a persistent British journalist. Little by little, the filmmakers are once again drawn into this increasingly urgent issue – 90 percent of the forest has now been destroyed, including the place where Mutang used to live. With help from a Swiss researcher, the activists manage to expose the chief minister of Sarawak, who has earned billions of dollars from illegal logging, hiding the money in secret accounts and funds all over the world. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)