AS WORLDS DIVIDE IS SCREENING AT THE ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL AUSTRALIA
As Worlds Divide is screening at the Environmental Film Festival Australia (EFFA) in Melbourne on Sunday, October 14th at 8pm. This will be followed by a Q&A with Producer and Director, Rob Henry; moderated by Dr Alexander Cullen from the University of Melbourne. Book your tickets online via ACMI, by clicking this link: EFFA tickets. Whilst there, we recommend browsing →
AS WORLDS DIVIDE – COMMUNITY IMPACT
For all those who have seen the As Worlds Divide film, given support or followed the progress of this Mentawai, social impact project over the past ten years, check out this short video update from the community: We greatly appreciate your ongoing support and donations. For further details about this cultural education program, including monthly progress reports, visit our Indigenous Education →
INDIGENOUS CELEBRATION FESTIVAL, BALI 2018
Last week we attended the Indigenous Celebration Festival in Ubud, on Bali Island. It was incredible - a testament to the united strength of Indigenous peoples and the unique and everlasting value of their cultures. We travelled with 8 Mentawai students and teachers from the YPSM cultural education program, and two ‘sipatitik’ tattoo artists - all from Siberut Island. Whilst celebrating →
YOUR FILM PURCHASE IS MAKING A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE
Again, thank you to everyone who has purchased the As Worlds Divide film over the past few months. The proceeds / donations received are already being utilised and bringing positive impact to Mentawai’s Indigenous community. Inspired by the level of support shown by people all around the world, the Suku Mentawai Education Foundation have been fortifying their program by further developing the curriculum →
WAFSAC HAS BEEN EXTENDED!
The ‘Watch a film, save a culture' wafsac reached its 30th day last Monday. Whilst we’ve yet to reach our targets in terms of funds raised, we are extremely grateful and moved by the level of support you’ve given over the past month – particularly by how far the voice of Indigenous Mentawai has been carried across Australia and around the →
WAFSAC AND WIN!
Dreaming of escaping the office to a secluded, tropical island and some of the best saltwater barrels in the world? Or perhaps in need of kicking off your shoes and experiencing one of the most biodiverse rich rainforests and cultures the planet has to offer? In support of the Mentawai WAFSAC, our friends at Pitstop Hill Mentawai and the community-run Mentawai →
SUKU MENTAWAI LAUNCH ECOTOURISM
It has been a busy few months for As Worlds Divide, Indigenous Education Foundation (IEF) and the Suku Mentawai team. The implementation of their Cultural & Environmental Education Program (CEEP) is now underway and the Mentawai committee driven to ensuring its success. One important factor and indicator of their program's success is sustainability – how the Mentawai team will operate →
AS WORLDS DIVIDE FILM LAUNCH AND #WAFSAC CAMPAIGN
Thank you to everyone who attended the As Worlds Divide film premiere event last Friday, the 24th of March. The level of support and generosity for Suku Mentawai and the ‘watch a film, save a culture’ #wafsac campaign was truly inspiring. Together, we raised $20,000 for their cultural and environmental-based indigenous education program (CEEP). We’d also like to extend our thanks →
PREPARING OUR FILM’S RELEASE CAMPAIGN
These past few months we have been busy researching and developing a strategy to release our feature documentary film, As Worlds Divide. Our primary objective is to utilise the film’s release to help fund the 10-year implementation of Suku Mentawai’s Cultural and Environmental Education Program (CEEP) – and thus prevent the loss of their precious Indigenous knowledge. Last Tuesday we gathered →
MENTAWAI TEETH SHARPENING RITUAL
It has been quite an extraordinary month here in Mentawai, and one particular reason for this was baring witness to a ritual I’d presumed had long been extinct: the sharpening, or chiseling of human teeth. There are various theories pertaining to the actual purpose for this act and, depending on the region you make your enquiry, perhaps all have some element →
FILM OUTREACH STRATEGY
I have been a little inactive here these past few months, but for good reason. Having finally finalised the film’s production – yes, very happy – it has provided some much-needed time to catch up on the happenings of the Foundation; namely, identifying weaknesses and planning steps to strengthen and move forward. One key component of this planning is the film’s →
FINAL STAGES OF PRODUCTION
Yes, the journey of this film production has been notably slow and, for those following along, seemingly uneventful at times. Almost eight years now and we’re still yet to see a film. C’mon Rob. Contrary to popular perception – and perhaps direct sightings – I will say we’ve continued chipping away at this quite incessantly. And what is →
SUKU MENTAWAI UPDATE
I’m really enjoying being back in Mentawai. In particular, trekking about the forest with my good friend Aman Masit Dere. He hasn’t been this energetic in years. The medicines are working and his health slowly recovering. It’s so pleasing. Sadly this outcome is not common here for people suffering from tuberculosis. Most others that I've met while passing through the remote →
POST-PRODUCING
I’m pleased to report that the film’s post-production is now in full swing. Even more so than when I reported the same progression last year, the year before, and most probably the several years before that too. Ahem. Jane and I have been in lock-down mode the past month working on a final cut (edit) of the film, eating excessive quantities →
IS THERE EVEN A DAMN FILM?
In 2008, before this journey began, I had lost track of where I was headed. I wanted to feel as though I belonged to a purpose but wasn’t sure where to turn. By the end of 2009 I had been living with the native Mentawai people for almost a year. Here I had found inspiration to make a documentary film, →
COMMENCING THE SUKU MENTAWAI PROGRAM
Tomorrow I leave for Indonesia to meet up with Esmat and August, Director and Manager of Suku Mentawai. We're all very excited. For those interested in following the activities of this Mentawai indigenous education program, do visit sukumentawai.org and its facebook page; where we endeavour to post photo, video and story updates detailing the highs, lows, dos and don'ts of →
STORY: HOW TO BUILD A MENTAWAI UMA
Storytelling is a fundamental component of all indigenous cultures and heavily intertwined within their native educational systems. For Mentawai, according to Sikerei, "Our stories teach us about our history and how to survive here. They carry the wealth of Mentawai through the generations. This is our fortune." Over the years I've documented a variety of these cultural tales and edifying conversations →
WIN THIS LIMITED EDITION MENTAWAI PHOTO!
We plan to commence work on the Suku Mentawai program before the end of the year. However, to do so, we need to raise initial funding through IEF. If you’d like to win this certified limited edition (artist proof #1) photo of native Mentawai - framed, be in the running by purchasing a raffle ticket for $2 each or $5 →
BIGGEST ANNOUNCEMENT THUS FAR!
What might you wonder if you found a species of plant now struggling to survive in the exact same location it had flourished in for thousands of years – even after being provided a variety of enhancements to help it grow? …‘What is it that has suddenly caused this change?’ perhaps. Over the past six years I’ve been researching and documenting →
HOW EFFECTIVE IS TRADITIONAL MEDICINE?
Continuing on from recent articles discussing how the indigenous Mentawai community deals with illness and loss of life, I’d like to delve a little deeper into the practices of traditional Mentawai medicine; those who are trained to administer it; and the impacts caused by an increased lack of community access to it. Firstly, it‘s worth mentioning that traditional medicine has been →
SUPPORT AGAINST INDIGENOUS DISPLACEMENT
To reveal a little more of what this project hopes to achieve and to give those interested in supporting its cause a chance to do so, I'm launching a two-week fundraising campaign selling t-shirts to raise money for the not-for-profit indigenous education initiative. To see the entire range of men's and women's t-shirt designs and to learn exactly how you'll be →
FISCAL SPONSOR
As Worlds Divide has been approved by the Documentary Australia Foundation as a project suitable for philanthropic support and is now provided fiscal sponsorship. Meaning any financial support given toward the project's completion will be fully tax deductible here in Australia. Which, given the 'real damn close' stage the project is now at, could prove somewhat beneficial. You'll find the →
LIFE AND DEATH IN MENTAWAI
Each time I return to Mentawai I discover something new about the people and about the way they deal with the often-confronting circumstances that arise during their lives. This recent experience presented all that and more. Arriving in the port town of Siberut, Arla and I were greeted by news that my friend Aman Masit Dere was ill. His condition though →
AT A GENTLE PACE
Certainly not setting any records for the pace that this project is developing at but I can assure you it is progressing and I am getting closer and closer to announcing a few rather exciting advancements. Meantime, here is a photograph of a Mentawai Sikerei attempting to take a photograph of me.
