Neuere Filme über PNG

Reviews gibt es hier: Blog amerkanischer Anthropologen.

Melanesian Interest Group

of the American Anthropological Association

„Das Paradies ist anderswo“

Ein Film von Sigrid Awart und Diego Donnhofer (A), wissenschaftliche Beratung: IEZ/Linz.
Die fünf „Lunas“ Schwestern auf der Insel Lihir/Papua Neuguinea werden nach einem „berauschenden“ Goldfund filmisch begleitet. Der Film zeigt die tiefgreifenden Veränderungen in ihren Beziehungen zueinander, zu ihrer Familie, dem Clan, der Natur und die neuen Hoffnungen und Ängste.
Dauer: 55 Minuten, Deutsch, Österreich 1997

„Crater Montain Story“

Der Film dokumentiert die Veränderungen einer Dorfgemeinschaft im Hochland von Papua Neuguinea nachdem die Regierung den Abbau von Gold erlaubt hat. Der Filmmacher hat dabei die ansässigen Clans eingeladen ihre Befürchtungen für die Zukunft in der ihnen am besten erscheinenden Methode vorzubringen. Entstanden ist daraus ein unkonventioneller Dokumentarfilm, der einen Einblick in die Lebenssituation und die kulturellen Ausdrucksweisen in PNG gibt. „The film became a Noah’s Ark. They putt he things important to them in it because they fear to loose they will lose.“ (Zitat Martin Maden) Der Filmemacher Martin Maden stammt aus PNG, ging dort zur Schule und studierte Film in PNG und Frankreich. Er lebte mehrere Jahre in Deutschland und kehrte des öfteren in den Pazifik zurück, um Filme zu drehen.
Dauer: 53 Minuten, Sprache: Tok Pisin, Englische Untertitel

Two recent films about PNG that I saw screened back in February at the Pacific Film and History Workshop hosted by the ANU and run by Chris Ballard and Vicki Luker are worth highlighting. The first is Papa Bilong Chimbu (2007) and the second is Crater Mountain Story (2006). Both deal with different issues relevant to Melanesian communities and besides being interesting in their own right are useful for teaching.

Papa Bilong Chimbu is directed and produced by Verena Thomas and chronicles the life of Thomas' great-uncle Father John Nilles (1905-1993), who from 1937 worked for 54 years as a Catholic missionary in the Chimbu district. Reminiscent of Connolly and Anderson's film First Contact (1983), the film weaves together Thomas' relationship with Niles, her own journey to Chimbu to interview those who knew and worked with her great-uncle, with historical photographs taken by Nilles and a chronicle of Nilles engagement with the Chimbu. The result is a fascinating film about Nilles entanglement with the Chimbu, the history of transformation in the region and the filmmaker's own encompassment by these relationships. The film is distributed by Ronin Films and clips can be seen on the website: http://www.papabilongchimbu.com/

Crater Mountain Story is directed by Martin Maden for the Research and Conservation Foundation of Papua New Guinea (RFC) and was created with members of Maimafu village. The film explores people's reactions to a proposed mining project and mixes interviews with villagers with skits and performances put on by villagers for the film. The film provides wonderful insight into local views about conservation, what development entails and what it is that people desire. Clips of the film are available on Maden's website: Maimafu Flue Finale, Maimafu Flute Finale 2 and Siri Gets Ready. The film is a good companion to Paige West's recent book Conservation Is Our Government Now: The Politics of Ecology in Papua New Guinea (2006) about the Crater Mountain Wildlife Management Area.