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Award for short film about conservationis
Award for short film about conservationist
Phuket student, 14, directed movie
By Apinya Wipatayotin
Forest of Life, a short film directed by a 14-year-old Phuket student about a late mangrove conservationist, has won the best Young Documentarians and Storyboard Competition, which aims to promote environmental awareness among youths in the coastal provinces. The 10-minute documentary film tells the story of ''Uncle Tim'', or Jurin Ratchapol, a leader of the Pa Khlok Mangrove Forest Conservation Group in Phuket's Thalang district, who was shot dead in 2001 while opposing a businessman's plan to turn the mangrove forest into a prawn farm.
'The mangroves that Uncle Tim sacrificed his life to protect are close to our school. We like to go there on weekends to collect animals and plants to eat and sell,'' said director Chulaporn Koomban, from Wirasatreeanusorn School in Phuket province.
'We feel close to this mangrove forest and want villagers to realise the importance of the mangroves before more people have to sacrifice their lives to save them,'' the young director said at the award-granting ceremony held in Phuket last week.
The documentary starts with news coverage of Jurin's murder, then talks about the villagers' dependence on the fertile mangroves. The final part is a commemoration of the local leader.
''Thank you, Uncle Tim, for protecting this land for us. Your goal has been achieved even though you are no longer here to see it with your own eyes,'' the film says.
The short film-making competition was co-organised by the Thai Fund, the Fah Diow Foundation, and the Coastal Habitats and Resources Management Project (Charm), a five-year coastal conservation project sponsored by the EU. Entries came from 12 schools in Krabi, Phangnga, Phuket, Trang, Surat Thani, and Ranong provinces. Staff from Charm were sent to the schools to show teachers and students how to make an easy documentary film. They were taught about story board and script writing, moving picture shooting and film editing. The competition is designed to encourage creativity among the young, build teamwork, and foster environmental awareness among local people, said Yves Henocque, Charm's team leader.
Local awareness was a key factor in environmental protection because green groups come and go. ''We choose to work with the younger generation because they learn quickly and can communicate with their family and community effectively,'' he said. Sophia Buranakul, director of the Fah Diow Foundation, said the quality of the documentaries were beyond expectation. ''These kids did not know how to make a documentary before, but they do it amazingly well, while their sense of environmental protection is clear and strong,'' she said.
Su Boonliang, an environmentalist singer and writer who sits on the judging panel, said the winning film was ''ingenuous and full of creativity''. Mr Su said he also liked Open Li Let House, a short film produced by students from Wat Bang Pla school in Surat Thani province. The film talks about the traditional Thai way of life in a village in tambon Li Let of Phunphin district. ''The film is telling us that not only natural resources must be preserved, but also people's way of life,'' he said.
Members of the public can view all 12 documentary films with English subtitles at www.fahdiow.net.
