How do we live in Europe? What do we really know about our �fellow countrymen�? With its partners, Franco-German channel ARTE inaugurated an ambitious collection of twenty documentaries which explore the lives of various inhabitants of the European Union. Be they squatters, ministers, farmers or holidaymakers, they were followed by young film-makers from their country equipped only with a basic digital camera. These are entertaining portraits which both arouse our curiosity and encourage reflection, sometimes with a provocative and ironic tone.

In 1998, the EU amended the Treaty of Rome and classified animals in the category of �sensitive� beings. A clause was however added stipulating that the EU must respect the culture and tradition of each member state. Bullfighting thus became a protected activity in the name of national culture. In Spain, the homeland of bullfighting, this activity is a veritable industry. Almost every Spanish town has its own bullring, 200,000 people earn their living thanks to it, and 80 million tickets are sold every year, generating turnover in excess of 600 million euros. The most famous matadors can receive up to �80,000 per bull. Bullfighting is just as popular in neighboring Portugal and in the south of France. But it is much more difficult for a Frenchman to break into the juicy Spanish market. Juan Bautista,17, is the eldest son of an illustrious French matador. His family live in the Camargues region. Juan is following in the footsteps of his father, who pulls out all the stops to make sure his son carries the torch to Spain. Juan will rise to the challenge this year. He is to spend 10 days touring Spain and the south of France � a 4,000-mile trip � in the hope of convincing his peers and the public at large. If he succeeds, he will become a �matador de toros�, or bull killer, with a glittering career before him.

Credits

Directed by

Christian Poveda

Co-writers:

Colin Luke

Produced by

Cie des phares et balises & MOISAIC FILMS (G.B), Arte G.E.I.E., BBC (G.B), TV2 (DK), YLE (FIN), NPS (P.B), TV4 (Su�de)

Technical information

Copyright :

2000

Running time:

26 minutes

Broadcasts :

Arte (06/29/00), BBC (U.K), TV2 (DK), YLE (FIN), NPS (NL), TV4 (SWE)