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The Blind Traveller

Exploring the Mind of Alexandra Mackie

FRANCE | Saturday, 22 August 2015 | Views [275] | Comments [1] | Scholarship Entry

I am a young documentary filmmaker just starting off in my career. I love documentaries because I love working with people. My heart is to explore different cultures and sensitive subjects in a unique, compelling, and positive way. I've only worked on a few documentaries at this point, but my first film on extreme viking re-enactors was screened in Los Angeles and China. My most recent piece was awarded the Deutsche Bank Award for Creative Enterprise, allowing me to create a 25-30 minutes film on visually impaired travellers and their imaginings (this is in pre-production). I've found that visually impaired people are some of the most imaginative and descriptive people I know, this is why I have chosen to submit the short that I did. It is Alex, a young blind woman who loves to travel that inspires me. I love travelling and the experiences you get that go beyond sight seeing. I love the rich culture, the food, the climate- all things that go beyond what we can see. I love that its a part of life anyone can engage in- disability or not. People, travelling, culture, and the opportunity to tell a compelling story.. these are the reasons that I have chosen to be a documentary filmmaker. I have so much to learn and I cannot think of a better opportunity to kickstart my career than this one.
Please note: There is more traditional work on my website. My goal is to be a travel/documentary filmmaker and while I have had internship opportunities, I have not been paid to do this yet.

Tags: 2015 Film Scholarship to Colombia

Comments

1

I appreciated watching this piece for two main reasons: The first being that it tells the story of someone who physically sees the world in a different way than most people who will be watching it. It is very thought provoking to consider this from the perspective of a filmmaker, who (in the case of this scholarship program), wants to travel to SEE and capture different parts of the world. Towards the end, your subject says "I believe we have the gift and ability to imagine things as we would have liked to see them", which for me, really levels the playing field and draws a commonality between all of us.

The second reason I enjoyed it has to do with how you approached the story visually. It was a great idea to bring in additional elements such as stop motion, drawings, and overexposed shots, which helped illustrate the world of your subject's story from a different perspective. I haven't seen another entry like this! It was all very creative. Great work.

  jschiappa Sep 11, 2015 2:55 AM

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