Taming the Floods

Taming the Floods fulfills the dream of the landscape architect Jan Dijkstra: he can design an area in Poland that is regularly flooded by the river. Dijkstra wants to create a large nature reserve where people no longer have any influence: an area where the river can run its course and wolves can be set free. The fanatical landscape architect however does not bear in mind the needs of the local people. His younger colleague David is eventually sent to Poland to get things organised. Taming the Floods is a mixture of documentary and feature in which all the scenes are borrowed from situations which really happen or have happened. Alongside actors, roles are played by the local people, including farmers and a priest.

Directed by Jan van den Berg, Taming the Floods leans on a strong ensemble — Jan Decleir, Frank Rigter, Andrzej Żarnecki — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about documentary titles of 1999.