“We will protect our forests until the bitter end,” the above text reads.
A pair of documentaries about small-island indigenous peoples in Indonesia were screened in Oslo on Tuesday as part of a global roadshow leading up to the UN Climate Change Conference to be held in Paris in December.
The shorts are part of the If Not Us Then Who series, an initaitive of UK-based production house Handcrafted Films.
“Oil Palm Free Islands,” directed by Handcrafted’s Paul Redman, follows a future indigenous leader from the Mentawai Islands off Sumatra’s western coast.
“The Warden of Jargarian Forest,” produced by Forest Watch Indonesia and filmed by the West Java-based Indonesia Nature Film Society, chronicles the struggle against Menara Group’s sugarcane plans in the Aru archipelago of eastern Indonesia.
“The films portray the response of the peoples of Aru and Mentawai to the entrance of investors in their areas,” Redman said. “They build an attitude to protect their natural heritage. Their message needs to be shared with the world.”
Indonesia’s small islands are increasingly becoming targets for expansion of land-based investments that cover huge swaths of their tiny areas, often to the chagrin of local populations.
The roadshow will stop in other major cities around the world, including New York, Lima, Berlin and Jakarta.
The films can be viewed at the links below.
Oil Palm Free Islands:
The Warden of Jargarian Forest:
Produced in English by Philip Jacobson.
Citations:
- Ridzki Sigit. “Film Dokumenter Masyarakat Adat Pulau-Pulau Kecil Diputar di Forum Internasional” Mongabay-Indonesia. 5 May 2015.