Directors Statement:

When I heard about Clown Doctor Jean Paul and Maggie’s plans to celebrate their second marriage by honeymooning in war torn Afghanistan I was compelled to tell their story.

How far would John Paul go to make someone happy?
Could his humour make a difference in a country ravaged by war?

What did they hope to achieve when western aid had failed Afghanistan for decades.The film explores the politics of charity and aid in a country long suffering from aid fatigue. One of the central themes of the film explores issues and sensitivities around charity and aid. Whether well-intentioned amateurs could actually make any difference in a country where the fundamental problems are so profound that they’ve cracked the very bedrock of Afghan society.

The film also explores Jean Paul’s use of humour to unify and transcend race, class and culture through Jean Paul’s mime performances. From the beginning we where also interested in Jean Paul’s belief in the power of humour to heal and transcend cultural and political boundaries.

We also wanted to challenge the West’s perception of Afghan and Muslim stereotypes portrayed in the media post 9/11.

As western countries fail to deliver on their promises of aid to Afghanistan to the tune of 10 billion dollars, we wanted to explore the responsibility and power of the individual to make positive change in society and challenge the notion that we should all just leave it to the experts.

Ian Hamilton

Film maker Ian Hamilton with Hotel Security

Associate Producer Jamie Lewis