The Story
Neither Interpol nor the Italian Government can find him...
But I did.
He was building a floating city off the coast of Iran.
Then a mutilated body washes up in Dubai.
Is the body his?
WHO IS SAMUELE LANDI?
Whilst on the run from the Italian government:
He started building a floating city off the coast of Iran.
He liberated over 100 trafficked Liberian women from Oman.
He has been described as "essentially the king of an African nation,"
HOW DO YOU WIN A FUGITIVE'S TRUST?
Samuele was living on a platform in international waters.
This was the start of his dream of making a floating city.
I got in contact with him.
I wanted to join him on the high seas.
But he was wary of outsiders, who could be government agents.
Letting me live with him was a big risk.
He was facing a long prison sentence in Italy.
So he asked to see some of my previous work.
I had one chance to make a good impression.
So I sent him a strange film that proved I was not a fed...
His response:
"Nice."
"We are happy for sure to have you."
Thus I am invited to his floating platform in international waters.
MEETING SAMUELE LANDI
To the outside observer it seems this is merely an ocean hideout, a way to evade the law.
But to Samuele Landi this was the beginning of a new chapter for humanity.
His dream was to create a city state at sea.
This is called Seasteading.
DAILY LIFE ON THE HIGH SEAS WITH LANDI
Just before my return to Landi's platform, there was a great storm that split it in two.
Days later a body was washed up in Dubai.
Samuele’s family were called to see if they could identify the body. They were unable to...
So a DNA test was performed with the corpse and Samuele’s son. Samuele’s lawyer told me the results would never be made public...
Since then I have been piecing together fragments of his life.
From the diamond fields of West Africa, to meeting with Cannibals and Liberian Warlords, Samuele's life is a mystery.
My travels have taken me to some of the strangest places on Earth, trying to answer the question:
Who is Samuele landi and is he still alive?