One Morning with Zhong Ma

I heard about the Mosuo people while travelling in Yunnan province, China, last month. The Mosuo are the last matriarchal society in the world and I thought they would make a great documentary subject. I travelled to the Lugu lake region where they live and soon realised it was going to be difficult to “document” a matriarchal society in the short time I had there.

Staying the night in a local homestay, I had the good fortune to meet Zhonga Ma, the owner of the house and a Mosuo woman. I was fascinated by her way of life and I decided to make a film documenting her morning routine. Having eaten dinner with Zhong Ma the night before, she was comfortable having me film her.

Given the language barrier I decided to shoot an observational documentary with no dialogue. My greatest challenge was that Zhong Ma, 64, was so active she would never stay in one place for very long which kept me on my toes.

As an aspiring documentary filmmaker I’m interested in stories about people, culture and the environment. My dream career involves directing factual programs for Nat Geo. This scholarship will help me realise my filmmaking dream.