Video History
:
- Saving the Pinang Culture
- Cerita dari Kampung Berkerikil: Sosok Seorang Guru
- Road to Freedom in Jayapura
- Jayapura’s Call to London and the World – 11 October 2011 Rally
- Harapan Anak Cendrawasih (A Papuan Voices film to be screened on Human Rights Day, December 10, 2011)
EngageMedia (EM): Tell us why you are a filmmaker.
FX Making (FM): I enjoy every part of the video-making process: producing, writing scripts, shooting and editing.
EngageMedia (EM): How did you come to video as a medium? Why do you work with the moving image?
FX Making (FM): My friends and I used to organise street rallies to demand action on issues like human rights violations and social and environmental destruction. But I started to think this effort was no longer enough – there was something missing. That’s when I started to learn how to make video through training workshops organized by Franciscan SKPKC Papua and EngageMedia. I was especially interested in learning to produce advocacy videos that could bring changes to my society.
EM: What are the main issues you address in your video work?
FM: We’ve been involved in issues like injustice, the call for a referendum in Papua, community problems and human rights violations.
There are many problems in Papua right now. People here are convinced that only they can save this land. On 19 October this year, several groups organised the Third Papuan People’s Congress and announced their demand (for independence) but the Indonesian Government crushed them in return.
Nowadays, the indigenous people of Papua are increasingly marginalised in their own place and losing their customary land. If this continues, the indigenous community will begin to disappear. But stories like this rarely make it into the mainstream media. These are the stories I try to cover.
The problem in Papua is about more than just the Morning Star flag. People in Indonesia and the international community must know this. I strongly believe that through audio-visual documentation stories of people’s struggle can reach vast audiences. This is why I choose video activism in this struggle.
EM:Why did you decide to focus specifically on Papua?
FM: I frequently watch Papuan problems portrayed by private television stations, print media, both locally and nationally. All of these media outlets talk about Papua with the same perspective – there is never anything new. But most of their news doesn’t correspond with the reality on the ground. That’s what prompted me to make videos about Papuan issues.
EM: Can you also tell us more about the Papuan Voices project?
FM: Papuan Voices is a group of young video-makers who still hold hope for a better future for Papua. Most of us come from Papuan cities like Jayapura and Merauke. As a team, we try to tell the truth about our problems here.
For a long time people from outside Papua have made videos about Papua, but now this land has its own voice. Although we make videos about Papuan issues we also collaborate with anyone who has a sincere desire to help Papuans and who wants to work with us to build a better future for Papua. We owe thanks to EngageMedia for sending people to train us in video making and online distribution strategies.
EM: Tell us about your favourite piece of video you have made on the topic of social justice or environment.
FM: It is the first of my videos, which was produced by my friends and I in our first Papuan Voices training. It’s a video about our betel-nut eating culture and it’s called “Saving the Pinang Culture”.
EM: How do you think online distribution is changing the field of independent video production? How do you use online tools and how does the internet make it easier to work as a video maker?
FM: If I have a good video, I want people to watch it. Why should I keep it to myself if it is useful for the public? If we’re talking about online video distribution and the use of the internet, we in Papua still deal with poor internet, and that is a major obstacle. But of course, video distribution is not just about the internet. We can also achieve a lot by screening videos outdoors to a group of villagers.
Links
- FX Making Page on EngageMedia
- FX Making on Facebook
- Papuan Voices page on Engagemedia, Jayapura and Merauke
If you know of any interesting filmmakers around Asia Pacific you’d like to see featured on EngageMedia.org, write to us today!
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