For the Netflix series presented by Raphael Rowe, a crew filmed inside Bomana, the maximum-security prison outside Port Moresby. Papua New Guinea Fixer organised the access, the permissions and the logistics.
Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons sends journalist Raphael Rowe to live as an inmate in some of the harshest jails on the planet. For the second series, released on Netflix in 2018, the production chose Bomana Correctional Institution, near Port Moresby. The episode, Papua New Guinea: The Breakout Prison, shows a maximum-security jail holding more than 600 men with a small, unarmed staff, where mass escapes have long been part of daily life.
Getting inside
A prison is not a location like any other. Filming at Bomana required the agreement of the Correctional Service and of the prison commander, Kiddy Keko, as well as the national filming approvals every foreign crew needs. For a shoot like this, we prepare the requests, explain the format of the series to the authorities and agree with them, in advance, what can and cannot be filmed.
Working with inmates and guards
Nothing in a prison works without trust. The people behind the walls need to know who is filming and why, and anyone who does not want to appear must be able to stay out of shot or be anonymised. Speaking Tok Pisin makes it possible to talk directly with inmates rather than through a guard.
Logistics and safety
A prison shoot also means daily transport between Port Moresby and the site, equipment cleared through customs, and a security plan agreed with the prison and with our local team.
What we handled
— National filming approvals and visas for the crew
— Access agreements with the Correctional Service and the prison commander
— Logistics and security in Port Moresby
The episode is available on Netflix: Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons, season 2, episode 3.
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