Writer Tahir Shah was obsessed with the lost city and determined to find what no explorer had uncovered in over four centuries of trying. Paititi is said to be home to all the treasures of the Incan Empire, all of which was moved there when the Spanish invaded their land in the 16th Century. The film documents their two trips to Peru – the first failing as they embarked on the adventure during the wrong season, and hired a gung-ho Vietnam veteran who turned out to be much more of a hindrance than any help. The success of their second mission rested on the faith of the indigenous people they turned to for assistance in locating Paititi. They met Eduardo, who'd moved to the banks of the Madre de Dios River 20 years earlier. He spoke of curses and negative energies to the team – when he spoke people listened. Through Eduardo they found Pancho – an outcaste in his own community. As a boy Pancho was known to have found a hatchet made of silver and gold at ruins deep in the jungle. Was it the location of the lost city? Pancho was reeled in by Shah's proposition to take him to the city. His wife had left him and he was searching for new pastures: the city life, a place where alcohol flowed from the taps and discos rocked through the night!
 | | Tahir pictured deep in the jungle |
As time passed the days became more arduous – Tahir and the team were worried they were being led up the garden path, but still believed that Pancho knew of the whereabouts of Paititi but was not keen to tell anyone, particularly westerners. The conditions were exceptionally difficult and physically demanding for the crew.Shah became agitated with them slowing him down and was constantly attempting to increase the pace. Rations were dwindling and the terrain impossible for the cameraman - Shah eventually left Flamholc behind – but the film showed acted out scenes from Shah before he did so. It left the audience feeling curious as to how much of the footage was real and how much was staged. However, any documentary is a version of the truth – Flamholc had little choice to stage scenes to tell the story of their journey – difficult not to do with one cameraman. Despite the difficulty of editing over 200 hours of footage into 105 minutes, the film is a high-speed adventure, giving an insight into the relationships between Tahir, the crew, and their Peruvian guides – I look forward to their next escapade. | 
