Selected videos
- Futumanu
- Tebe Dai
- Tihal Fuan Ina Flish
- We need some protection & love
- Camp Sambel 2010
- Peace for Matai Youths
In their own words:
Engage Media (EM): Tell us who you are as a filmmaker.
Chamot (C): I’m a filmmaker from Timor Leste. I come from the District of Suai Kamanasa (Kovalima Timor Leste). The films that I make revolve around the daily lives and culture of Timor Leste, particularly the Suai Kovalima District. I’ve also made several short films that can be used to motivate the general Timorese public.
EM: How did you come to video as a medium? Why do you work with the moving image?
C: For me, a video is a medium to educate and inform the public because with moving images people can better understand by watching what is screened.
EM: What are the main issues you address in your video work?
C: I mostly film stories on how people maintain their Timor Leste culture even in the modern era.
EM: We saw you have produced several environmental videos, please tell us a bit about the background?
C: The environmental problem is also my problem. It is also a problem that must be faced by communities, as often they are the main culprits. Sometime a short clip or footage can be a good start to help make them aware.
EM: Tell us about your favourite piece of video you have made, in regards to social justice or environment.
C: In one of my short films, titled “We need some protection & love”, there is a clip of little boy playing with his dog, while there is also a little girl trying to learn how to count and speak Bahasa Indonesia from a TV program. This little girl lives in an environment where people speak Tetum and in her school she was taught in Portuguese. From that clip I can conclude that moving images have the potential to help people learn anything they think would be useful for their lives.
EM: How do you think online distribution is changing the field of independent video making? How do you use online tools in your work?
C: Speaking from my experience, online distribution has helped me promote my work to the wider public.
Links
If you know of any interesting filmmakers around Asia Pacific you’d like to see featured on EngageMedia.org, write to us today!
