The first time I traveled to Ecuador
I met the Shuar people and their strength fascinated me. When I did my Masters
in Visual Anthropology I knew I wanted to make a film about the Shuar and I knew
that mining is a big issue in their communities so I wanted to highlight the
complexities of this issue. The Shuar stressed the importance of the forest in
their culture and traditions and how it is vital to their cultural survival.
I planned my piece with help from a Professor who put me in contact with members
of the Shuar Federation who helped me plan my full piece. This included filming
of a Shuar provincial assembly, a protected area and a mining area.
I had to prepare and plan for numerous and unexpected challenges as I was
traveling and filming alone. This made me think about equipment problems,
medication, and filming in difficult situations as well as overcoming language
barriers.
As a documentary maker I want to make films that will impact
on people’s minds. I want to create films that make people think and ask
questions about the world they don’t know and the world they think they know.
