The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven..”
―John Milton, Paradise Lost

Nauru is a special case. This Micronesian country experienced an economic boom in the 1970s and 1980s when, after purchasing back its phosphate reserves from the United Kingdom, its per capita GDP rose to $50,000, making it second only to Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately, Nauru’s phosphate reserves eventually dried up, its funds were mismanaged and by 2005 its per capita GDP had shrunk to $5,000. With an annual average of 160 tourists a year, Nauru is the least visited country on the planet.

We do not mean to paint a picture of doom and gloom, but, if we are being honest, to spend time on Nauru evokes John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost. Nevertheless, surrounded by coral and jagged rock, and with its crumbling phosphate mines and forty year old infrastructure, the island possesses myriad interesting locations for filmmakers and a compelling history for any documentary filmmaker looking to tell the tale.

Any filmmaker looking to shoot on Nauru should be aware that filming permissions are sensitive due to the country’s housing of political refugees seeking asylum in Australia. Its detention centers attracted international attention and, though many refugees have been relocated, Nauru’s government remains cautious in its approach to the media. That said, based on our experiences in the country, filming permissions are not impossible.