Borneo - in search of traces of Bruno Manser
I'd like to present to you one of my most meaningful journeys, to Sarawak state on Borneo Island in 2014. I was searching tracks of Bruno Manser, a Swiss environmental activist who was presumed dead after a mysterious disappearance.
I hoped to create a documentary film, portraying his outstanding work to empower local communities, fighting for the law to live on their traditional territories - nowadays constantly destroyed by the palm oil plantation and logging companies. I don’t know what I was thinking to do – self-funded, without a budget, and without a film crew I had tried to gather all pieces of information, Bruno’s last contacts. It led me to a small village in the center of the Bornean Rainforest where I found some tracks and met people who saw him, as they told me, just before his disappearance. Walking through the forest, without any guide, with dozens of leeches after each time I crossed the swamps and an armored man that let me sleep in his house wasn't anything that I found discouraging. The real struggle for me came after returning home.
I was naive to think that with the stories I got, any producer/funds will back me right away! At that time, I didn’t realize what it means to pitch a project, to connect with the right people with the same fantasy and drive I have. After getting a refusal of my applications to film funds, and failures in pitching (wrong addresses!), I didn't manage to find proper funds and push this project on the ride. I've decided to create a whole ecosystem supporting filmmakers with a mission of telling stories about change-makers. 8 years later, after multiple tries, and experiences later that I'm grateful for, I feel like I finally landed in the right place (inner and circumstances) to bring this project to the next level. Each person I've been meeting here in Zurich encourages me to live to my full potential I didn't even realize. In the past, I've been taught hardly how to meet this youth idealism with the knowledge of how the real world is working.
When I’m looking at these photos now, my thoughts are with these all people I’ve met, still struggling against logging and palm oil companies that prioritize profits over sustainability. I was able to spend half a year in tough conditions, to cope with different obstacles and risks but somehow the financial world, getting funds for my movies always scared me much more than any real-world danger. I'm going to present you some of my making-of stories honestly, without colorizing the filmmaker's life to discuss how one idealistic person can fit in or change the industry. It is a fulfilling journey that I find deeply healing and growing. With every person I met and every story I heard, I have an even stronger belief we need wandering (and wondering!) storytellers.
#borneo #borneoisland #sarawak #malaysia #ibancommunity #penancommunity #film #sustainability #environmental #funding #brunomaser #BrunoManserFond
#borneo #borneoisland #sarawak #malaysia #ibancommunity #penancommunity #film #sustainability #environmental #funding #brunomaser #BrunoManserFond
