PARADIS LATIN: A FRENCH CABARET IN THE EMIRATES | TF1 | Reportages

The iconic Parisian cabaret — a flagship of the French cancan alongside the Moulin Rouge since 1899 — is embarking on a bold new adventure: exporting itself to Dubai, the Middle East’s capital of excess.
This daring gamble is led by businessman Walter Butler and choreographer Kamel Ouali (Star Academy).
From casting the future troupe and relocating performers, to rehearsals and adapting costumes and numbers, everything must be rethought to suit a new Emirati audience.
While the venue for the future cabaret — the Billionaire, a bar-restaurant — has already been secured, everything else remains to be done, from construction work to the show itself.
We follow this extraordinary venture while questioning the challenges of exporting the very Parisian art of cabaret to an authoritarian monarchy in the Middle East, where Islam is the dominant religion.
Do the French cancan, feathers, sequins, glitter and sexy costumes have a place in a society built on modesty ?
The stakes are high: turning a profit on a project into which owner Walter Butler has invested no less than 30 million euros.
We follow the artists involved in this very first Paradis Latin “franchise” in Dubai.
Ryad, a 27-year-old dancer, competing in auditions at the Paradis Latin against 138 candidates.
Roman and Cécile, the duo behind the cabaret’s most successful number.
Jade Chantelle, the current lead performer of L’Oiseau Paradis in Paris, who dreams of dancing in Dubai.
For fashion designers Yassen Samouilov and Livia Stoianova, founders of the brand On Aura Tout Vu — known for creating provocative costumes for Lady Gaga — dressing the future Dubai troupe is a challenge in itself.
Threaded throughout the film, we also follow businessman Walter Butler, owner of the Paradis Latin, and Kamel Ouali, choreographer of L’Oiseau Paradis, as they navigate the artistic, cultural and financial risks of this unprecedented project.