WALKING UNDER WATER: An interview with Director Eliza Kubarska

By Sarah Wolfe

Once upon a time, there was a tribe of people who lived on the sea. Known as the Badjao, their children learned to swim before they could walk. As adults, they could free dive to great depths and hold their breaths for five minutes while hunting along the ocean floor. And, their eyes could focus under water.

Today, modern civilization has been driving the Badjao off the seas between Borneo, the Philippines and Indonesia. Without IDs or citizenship, the authorities want them to live on dry land in filthy slums overrun by garbage and rodents. Nearby, tourists stay in luxurious vacation resorts.

As the Badjao’s old way of life quickly heads toward extinction, Alexan—Mabul Island’s last compressor diver—tries to pass on their traditions to 10-year-old Sari. He tells his nephew wondrous tales about their ancestors and the secrets of the sea, weaving truth and fantasy. Sari, however, is torn between becoming a fisherman like his uncle and living a more modern life on land.

WALKING UNDER WATER is a breathtaking ode to the Badjao people and their changing way of life. Told with stunning underwater photography, we enter an aquatic kingdom that was once a home to this ancient tribe—and which descendants like Alexan are trying not to lose.

Salem Film Fest Writer Sarah Wolfe caught up with Director Eliza Kubarska to discuss her latest work, which received awards from the LA Film Festival and Hot Docs. An adventure filmmaker and professional mountain climber, she is currently home in Poland with her infant son and planning for another trip to Borneo.

Sarah Wolfe: What an incredible story this is about the Badjao people. Also, is it true their eyes can actually focus underwater?

Eliza Kubarska: Thank you! And yes, scientific research confirmed that Badjao eyes can focus underwater. Many of them can spend a long time without breathing as well. It looks like a natural ability. It’s also not strange to them when their children can swim faster than walk. To them, the sea is home.

SW: What made you decide to make a film about the Badjao, also known as the Borneo Sea Nomads?

EK: It was back in 2010 when I had just finished my previous documentary, MOUNTAIN LOVE STORY. My husband and I went to Asia for six months, where we climbed and worked on a video photography project. I was also looking for a new topic for my next documentary.

We happened to be traveling on the sea in Borneo with a local Badjao guide when we spotted something unusual: a young boy in a small boat out in the middle of nowhere. But it turned out he wasn’t alone. More than 60 feet below was his father, a compressor diver. This small child was completely responsible for his father’s life. It wasn’t Sari or Alexan out there, but this encounter gave me the idea for a documentary about a boy and his teacher—a Badjao diver. I also wanted to show the contrast between two worlds: the animistic world of the Badjao (where the sea and land have souls) and the world of modern tourism and vacation resorts.

I decided to set the film in and around Mabul Island, where Alexan and Sari live and where Alexan is the last compressor diver. The island belongs to Malaysia and used to be populated mainly by Badjao people just 20 years ago. Since outsiders discovered this paradise, Mabul and its surrounding islands have become among the most popular spots for scuba diving in the world. Now there’s no place for the Badjao on the sea and they’re being driven into slums like the one Alexan and Sari live in, which is right beside a tourist resort. The Badjao have no documents, don’t belong to any countries and therefore have no one to protect them.

SW: You initially spent two weeks with Alexan’s family on the sea between islands. After that trip, how long did you film them for?

EK: I started working on the film in 2011. I had to learn to scuba dive in order to see what the Badajo can do underwater. Together with my excellent UK producer, Monika Braid, we looked for funding. In the autumn of 2012, I came back with Piotr Rosołowski, the Director of Photography, and a few months later in the spring of 2013 we finished shooting. My husband, David Kaszlikowski, did the above and underwater photography and Lisa Strohmayer did underwater camera work.All together I visited Borneo six times, spending long periods with the Badjao on the sea. I was very happy there.

SW: Any idea how far down Alexan can free dive?

EK: When we were filming we went down as much as 80 feet together. I didn’t want him to go deeper (it’s more dangerous), but he was able to do it. Under the water he feels totally relaxed. I learned that some compressor divers can go nearly 100 feet down.Unfortunately I never tried breathing through that small hose that runs up to the surface when diving. I believe it’s very hard, but I hope to try it next time.

SW: Have you kept in touch with Alexan and Sari? Have they seen the film and, if so, what do they think?

EK: I used to be in touch with them. Alexan unfortunately doesn’t have a phone and I don’t speak the Badjao language, so the connection hasn’t been easy. I know people who live there and can tell me more or less what’s going on, but it’s not the same. Alexan and Sari haven’t watched the film yet. My plan was to go back to Mabul Island in 2014, but my husband and I found that we were expecting a child. Now I have a little baby boy. I need to wait a few months before I can take him with us to Borneo. I’m sure the Badjao will be happy to see me as a mother. For them, children are the most precious treasure.

SW: Speaking of children, I understand you’re running a campaign to raise money to build a school for Sari and the youth of Mabul Island?

EK: Yes, we started working with The Society for Education of Underprivileged Children, an NGO from Borneo. They’ve put many Badjao kids through school already on the surrounding islands. It’s tricky to open the school for the Badjao on Mabul, but I believe it’s possible. I’m looking for support from other NGOs as well. Anyone who wants to help can visit the film’s website at badjaofilm.com and click on “Support the Badjao.”  

WILD HOME : An Interview with Filmmaker Jack Schurman

By Kali Platt

In the Northern Woods of Maine, Vietnam veteran, Bob Miner and wife, Julie, help rehabilitate over 200 species of abused and abandoned animals from their home zoo, DEW Haven.  WILD HOME, directed by brothers Jack and Robert Schurman, tells the story of a man and the companionship with animals that helps set them both free.

In its roots, the film wasn’t intended to be feature-length, shared director Jack Schurman. The Schurman brothers learned of DEW Haven through a family friend and visited to discover Maine’s best kept secret. Within a month or two, they realized there was a much deeper and more powerful story to share, and thus the film grew.

The film’s aesthetic – with rugged imagery and a perfectly paired score of a single electric guitar – was created to emulate what it feels to visit the zoo. “That’s something we really wanted to show in the film, the vibe and the very world of it,” said Schurman. “We wanted it to be trance-inducing.”

As a Maine native, Schurman explained his love for the self-sufficiency found in its culture. “You see lawyers and businessmen that live in the woods and build their own homes,” he continued. But what he loved particularly about Bob’s story was that the self-imposed, self-sufficiency that isolated him, became the very thing that would break him from his loneliness.

WILD HOME screens tonight, Sunday, March 8, at 6:05pm at CinemaSalem. Filmmakers Jack and Robert Schurman will be in attendance for Q&A.

WANDER, WONDER, WILDERNESS: An interview with Director Paul Turano

By Sarah Wolfe

When filmmaker Paul Turano was growing up in rural Connecticut, he spent endless hours playing in forests, lying in fields gazing at the clouds above, and looking for signs of the land’s history in weathered stone walls. Years later, he moved to Boston’s urban environment with its tall buildings and bustling crowds—a transition he calls “overwhelming.” Turano quickly found himself escaping to green spaces within the city as he sought to reclaim the sense of calm renewal nature gave him as a child. In doing this, he discovered the value of Boston’s urban wilds—and that he wasn’t alone in the need to connect with them.

Turano has since created WANDER, WONDER, WILDERNESS, a multi-platform, interactive documentary project. With it, he asks us to explore the relationships between humans, community and nature. And, to discover the potential impact of urban wilds and green spaces as an antidote to our de-natured lives.

Salem Film Fest Writer Sarah Wolfe recently spoke with Turano about his unique project which, in a surprising way, uses technology to encourage us to reconnect with nature in our everyday lives.

Sarah Wolfe: First let me just say that watching your film was like strolling along a country road on a summer’s day. It has this flowing, meditative pace to it.

Paul Turano: I was definitely trying to put people in the mindset of contemplation and observation. It’s almost like you need to train the audience to slow down a little bit, which is challenging. For the subject matter, though, it made a lot of sense.

The whole idea for this film started when I changed my definition of what qualifies as nature. I think a lot of us have this idealistic, pristine vision of raw, unadulterated landscapes. That hardly exists any more. When you begin to think about it more in terms of organic material and of how the space is created to evoke the sensibilities of nature, you become more open to thinking about defining a green space in an urban context as a nature reserve.

SW: You also touch upon the idea of looking for signs of history within Boston’s urban wilds.

PT: If you keep your eyes open for the right clues you can see how previous generations might’ve used the land—industrial to nature reserve or vice versa. It puts us in touch with a continuum. Different eras also had different conceptions of what public space was meant for. For example, the Boston Common was used as pastures for livestock before the Public Garden was built on part of it as a way to enjoy nature. We’re coming back to that late 19th century philosophy of needing these green spaces if we’re going to manage how an urban context affects us. The Rose Kennedy Greenway is a great example. There was a time where that could’ve been developed into something completely different when they were doing the Big Dig.

SW: It’s interesting that you’ve added an interactive element to your film with a mobile app and website–using technology to promote nature when they’re polar opposites. At what point did your documentary evolve into a multi-platform project?

PT: While I was visiting places and doing research for the film, I went to Walden Pond. I walked out to the original site of Henry David Thoreau’s cabin and there I discovered a pile of rocks that had been moved off the trail. People had written Thoreau-inspired comments on the various stones and left them behind to inspire others. Because the space is so wrapped up in the Thoreau mystique, it’s like his spirit is still informing how people are interpreting their experiences with that space. I saw how those rocks were geocached and how the place prompted visitors to consider certain things. I thought, “Wouldn’t it be cool if you could do this virtually? Provide a little contextual information for a green space and give people prompts to create something that responds to the space?” I brought in the technology folks and we developed the ideas for a mobile app. It would be something that helped people locate a space, gave them guidance for looking at the landscape or greenspace in a certain way, and then asked them for a creative response about their experience. They could leave behind a personal account through the mobile app and website so others could find it virtually. We wanted it to be a creative tool, a lifestyle app that could increase the frequency of visits to Boston’s green spaces.

SW: Given people are in these spaces with the mobile app, at what point do they disconnect to fully engage with nature?

PT: The app is just a lure to get folks to a place in Boston’s urban wilds and to help them focus their attention on a particular aspect of the green space they might’ve overlooked. Once they have their prompts, we encourage people to put their device away and engage with the space for a while. Then they can pick it up again to document what they experienced. In this case, we want people to see technology as a creative tool. Aside from being a way to surf the web, the thing in your hand is also a camera, sound recorder and writing tablet.

SW: It reminds me of the field journals and diaries people used to keep.

PT: Exactly. And in this case, when you share that experience virtually it creates the feeling that you’re part of a special endeavor by allowing you to connect with people who are having like-minded experiences.

SW: One last question. Do you have any favorite places in Boston’s urban wilds that you like to visit?

PT: The Arnold Arboretum is within walking distance of my house and is a huge, endless place filled with things to discover. I visit frequently and bring my kids there. It’s one of the Olmstead parks, so the design is sophisticated and doesn’t feel man-made. In making this film, I also discovered tons of places I always wanted to go to but never knew about. One of them is Spectacle Island out in the Boston Harbor. It’s a by-product of the Big Dig and part of the National Parks system. The first time I went there I was astonished at how close it was to the city and yet how far away you felt. The island has a complex history. It’s now a nature reserve and it was built up with the soil from the Big Dig to make it bigger than its original footprint. They covered a landfill that was there in the mid-20th century and did remediation. There’s a beach and a beautiful set of trails and also historical plaques. You can hike up to the top of the two man-made hills on the island and look back at the city. It’s this amazingly existential view where you’re in this pristine nature reserve but looking at this gigantic megalopolis with the airport and harbor and city skyline. It’s an undiscovered gem. 

MUGSHOT with Filmmaker Dennis Mohr

By Candice Seplow

In 2010 at a rest stop in New York, Dennis Mohr discovered the nation's hottest weekly crime newspaper, The Slammer, which would stay in his possession for an entire year until he picked it up again. The newspaper's theme, which was dedicated to presenting the most entertaining mug shots to the public, made it clear to Mohr what his next documentary film would revolve around: the history of photographing them. Mohr dedicates his inventiveness to the art of photography and a chance for him to “try something new” and “quirky.” Mohr's next move began with him assembling a production crew and researching candidates that would feature in the documentary.

As a media technician for a broadcast company in Toronto, Mohr became familiar with the techniques of an older generation's style of producing film. He and his crew traveled in a van across North America for a year capturing footage, not realizing that they would also capture each other’s friendship. Mohr describes the friendships that have come from filming the documentary as his most memorable experience, “. . .if it wasn't for the friends who dedicated themselves to producing, filming and editing the film, there wouldn't be a film . . . there isn't just one producer behind making a film. It's really a crew of producers.” It is unfortunate that documentaries typically have little financial gain, but to Mohr he sees the friendships that he has gained along the way of much higher value.

A “small” film, it was to Mohr's surprise that what he refers to as the “whacked out subject” of MUGSHOT would gain so much attention. An adventure that began the moment that he picked up The Slammer led Mohr to capture a genre of art that is respectful to both the viewers and those being viewed. Skillfully transferring from one scene to another using the slide reel effect, the film has the feeling of being viewed through the lens of the person photographing each mug shot. Before handing the footage off to the editor, Mohr's only directions were “don't make it boring and don't make it too long.” What resulted is a captivating 52-minute film that tells the story of 4 people who appreciate the art form of the mug shot and their curiosity about the story behind them.

MUGSHOT screens at the PEM Bartlett Gallery on Saturday, March, 7 at 2:00 p.m.
 Q&A with Dennis Mohr to follow.

10 Reasons to Check Out Salem Film Fest 2015

By Nicholas Papa

The 8th annual Salem Film Fest has begun! Here are 10 reasons why you should make your way to downtown Salem and check it out:

1. It is among ‘the best.’ Last fall, Boston Globe Magazine named Salem Film Fest one of the “35 Ways to Love a New England Winter” and North Shore Magazine readers deemed it “Best Spring Festival” the 2014 Best of the North Shore (BONS) campaign. With screenings at the North Shore’s beloved CinemaSalem and the world-class Peabody Essex Museum, the festival offers a respite from winter and the opportunity to experience some of the “best of” the region.

2. Making History. In its 8th year, the festival has grown to become one of the largest all-documentary festivals in the country, and continues to grow both in programming and audiences each year. Come to the festival and be part of history in the making!

3. Interact with the actual filmmakers. Salem Film Fest attracts filmmakers from all over the world that not only come to the festival to showcase their work but also stay for engaging and thought-provoking Q&As with their audience.  In addition to film screenings, there are opportunities to mingle with filmmakers at local cafes, weekend “after” parties and the intimate filmmakers breakfast at Caffe Graziani.

4. Salem Sketches. These quirky, homegrown, short documentaries are produced by the festival's filmmakers-in-residence and are love letters to everything that makes Salem, Salem. This year’s crop features five originals and five that were incubated in the  “Salem Sketches Hot Tub Time Machine.”

5. Festive Windows. Sponsored by Salem Main Streets, many downtown shops have dressed up their windows in support of the festival. Using posters, film reels, popcorn, and other props, these spirited local merchants have created some intriguing designs. In between films wander around town to check out their window displays, and be sure to share your favorites with us on social media!

6. Downtown Salem. With one of the areas most vibrant and walkable downtowns, Salem is chock full of unique shops, museums and a wide variety of cafes and restaurants. So come for a film - or two - and stay for dinner!

7. Global Meatballs.  Salem native Adeline Lutts Myers explores the world one meatball at a time in her new cookbook Global Meatballs. Salem is celebrating National Meatball Day with a pop-up foodie fest featuring some of Myers’ signature meatballs. This yummy food fest will run throughout the entire festival with the following restaurants participating: Bella Verona, Adriatic Restaurant and Bar, Cilantro, Firenze Trattoria, Finz Seafood and Grill, Hawthorne Hotel, and Opus.

8. Mass Reality Check. This awesome competition features films written, shot and directed by Massachusetts based college students and gives audiences a sneak peak at the early work of some of the next generation of filmmakers.

9. Camaraderie. Whether in the theatre, at the café between films or waiting in line, there is always someone new to meet and friends to be made.

10. The Films! With the largest line up in Salem Film Fest history, the featured documentaries have something for everyone: art and music; contemporary political and social issues; gender and sexuality; environment and conservation; social justice. These moving films provide you with the opportunity to see the world with fresh eyes and maybe even leave the festival as a changed person.