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 →
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 →
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, →
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 →
LANGUAGE STUDIES
The people living in this small coconut farming village had had very little interaction with white fellows prior to me, so upon arriving I quickly found that I would be surrounded by villagers at almost all times of the day/evening. This was great as it enabled me to learn about their lifestyle, but also quite difficult due to the language →
