Athena Film Festival 2020 – Power Meri
Power Meri follows Papua New Guinea’s first national women’s rugby league team, the PNG Orchids, on their journey to the world cup in Australia. These trailblazers must beat not only the sporting competition, but also intense sexism, a lack of funding, and national prejudice to reach their biggest stage yet.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Joanna Lester
Watch Power Meri on Vimeo on demand
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
My background is in journalism, and my work focuses on the social impact of sport. In 2014 I moved to Papua New Guinea to work on a community program that uses the popularity of the country’s national sport, rugby league, to deliver key messages about respectful relationships and gender equality.
Papua New Guinea is considered to be one of the toughest countries in the world to be a woman. There are limited opportunities for women in education, work and society, currently no female politicians, and huge rates of gender-based violence and sexual assault. However, the women I met there were resilient and inspiring. I worked alongside many ‘Power Meri’ (powerful women) who played rugby league, and were changing mindsets in their communities through their ground-breaking participation in this traditionally male-dominated sport. But their impact remained local. I thought that if we could share their story more widely, the impact could be amplified. In 2016 I learnt that Papua New Guinea would be forming a national women’s rugby league team, the PNG Orchids, to compete in the next world cup. This provided the world stage required to tell their story through film and create impact far beyond the team and those who watched them play at the time.
Millions of dollars of aid money are being spent in Papua New Guinea, with most programs required to have ‘gender outcomes’ but progress is proving slow. It was clear that the question of how to change things for women needed new answers. Using film, I saw a compelling opportunity to transform attitudes towards women through a sporting story that I knew would resonate in Papua New Guinea and hopefully beyond. It has.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
People say they love the film because it’s an inspiring story about a group of women from a rarely-seen corner of the world doing something remarkable. While sport is a big part of the story, many audience members have spoken about how much they enjoyed the film even though they never watch sport. Alternatively, if you do like sport or if you are one of the millions inspired by the current rise of women’s sport, this is a must-watch film that illustrates the power of women’s sport to change lives.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
From the outside, Power Meri looks like a film about sport, but it’s about far more than sport because, as in so many countries, sport reflects society. The daily challenges of life for women in Papua New Guinea and the prejudice they face are reflected in their sporting journey. The resistance towards women playing male-dominated sports, which extends far beyond that country’s borders, is explored through real social media comments directed at the team. The theme of national identity, and the transformative impact it has on individuals who have the opportunity to represent their country overseas, is exemplified through sport but resonates with many audience members.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
As an observational documentary, the film was almost impossible to script before the journey started. We followed the stories of individual players from before the team was formed, and the journey of the team once it existed. Of course, the fortunes of the team at the world cup played a big part in shaping the film, but the personal stories of the key characters are woven into the journey. There was a surprising twist when a player who we never expected to play for the team was called up, and she became instrumental. This also shaped the story considerably.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
So far, the feedback has been brilliant. My motivation for making this film was to change attitudes and, by extension, to improve the lives of women. These things are both incredibly difficult to track and measure (especially within the budget of a documentary film!) but verbal feedback suggests that we are starting to make an impact on both of these fronts. Everyone who has seen the film and spoken to me, or made contact on social media, is incredibly positive. The words ‘moving’, ‘uplifting’ and ‘extraordinary’ have come up many times. As a first-time filmmaker, this has been incredibly encouraging and has driven me to make sure we find avenues to share the film with more people. We often involve players from the team as speakers at screenings of the film, and the opportunity for audiences to meet them and hear more about their story first-hand has proved popular.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
It has been a pleasant surprise how much the film has resonated in countries where we did not expect it to, especially as most people in the world have heard little or nothing of Papua New Guinea before watching Power Meri. This is an encouraging sign that its themes are universal, and I think it also reflects the current level of global interest in women’s rights and women’s sport, and an appetite to see stories about strong women who are changing their lives through extraordinary means.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We have a relatively small network of partners, but we know the film will resonate in parts of the world that we have not yet reached (particularly Asia, Africa and Europe) so we would like to connect with more people there (see below). Anyone can host a screening in any setting – from a film festival to a local cinema, to a sports clubhouse, to using a projector and a white sheet in a remote village (we have had a few of these screenings in Papua New Guinea)!
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We need to spread the word about the film and facilitate screenings in more countries – be they film festival screenings, community screenings, or through gender and sports organisations using the film as a tool in their work. Media coverage would help with this too, but we are particularly interested in hearing from film festivals, organisations and individuals who would like to host further screenings.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
The reception so far has been phenomenally positive. Verbal feedback from men and boys says it has changed their view of women in various ways (how to treat women, the role of women in society, and the importance of women’s sport). Women say they have found it uplifting and inspiring, and we know of several women who have taken up the sport of rugby league after watching the film (and one who learnt through the film that Papua New Guinea has a women’s team, and is now playing for the team!). The film is also bringing new funding and exposure to women’s rugby league, especially in Papua New Guinea. However, it has been hard to track impact and we are particularly keen to hear from individuals and organisations who would like to work with us to document and track the impact of screenings they host. This will not only help us with Power Meri, but it will help future filmmakers who are seeking funding from international development sources (where the majority of our funding came from) to demonstrate the value of documentary film in this space.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
What is the role of sport in empowering women and changing attitudes about women in broader society? Many people see sport as a ‘niche’ activity that only benefits its participants, but Power Meri tells a story of the wide-ranging power of sport to have an impact on society, beyond the lives of those who play it.
Would you like to add anything else?
Through our existing network of partners and stakeholders, Power Meri is being used in communities across the world as a tool to drive gender equality, promote women’s sport and explore women’s leadership. But our network is relatively small, and we are looking to expand our reach much further. We would like to hear from anyone interested in hosting a screening, or series of screenings, in their community. Please contact: info@powermerifilm.com
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
There is still plenty of work to be done with Power Meri, using the film for impact and outreach in new countries. The next country we are launching in is Vanuatu (which is culturally similar to Papua New Guinea) in March 2020 with a week of film, sport and women’s leadership activities tied in with International Women’s Day. We are looking for gender and sport partners in other countries to help us share the film more widely and have an impact in communities. So the current focus remains on seeing Power Meri reach its full international potential as an impact film, before responding to high demand for a sequel to follow the team’s journey to the next world cup!
Interview: February 2020
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Power Meri
Power Meri follows Papua New Guinea’s first national women’s rugby league team, the PNG Orchids, on their journey to the world cup in Australia. These trailblazers must beat not only the sporting competition, but also intense sexism, a lack of funding, and national prejudice to reach their biggest stage yet.
Length: 1:14:00
Director: Joanna Lester
Producer: Madeleine Hetherton
Writer: Joanna Lester
About the writer, director and producer:
JOANNA LESTER is a journalist and documentary film-maker who focuses on the social impact of sport. She has reported for global media organisations and worked at Olympic Games and major sporting events across four continents. She has covered rugby league worldwide, from its birthplace in England to Papua New Guinea. Her work explores how sport can change lives and improve societies, and how women’s sport contributes to gender equality. Power Meri is her first film.
MADELEINE HETHERTON is an experienced director and producer working across a range of documentary and top-rating factual programs. Her long-form documentary work includes directing the series Making Babies (SBS), Beats Across Borders (ABC /Cirque du Soleil) and Love In Our Own Time. She has been nominated for awards including ADG for Best Directing and the Association of International Broadcasters for Best Contemporary Documentary. She recently won Best Documentary Film Audience Award at Sarasota Film Festival.
Key cast: Joanna Lester (director, producer, writer), Madeleine Hetherton (producer), Rebecca Barry (producer), David Lloyd-Lewis (cinematographer), Jonathan Fang (cinematographer), Nikki Stevens (editor), Caitlin Yeo (composer), Cathy Neap (rugby league player), Della Audama (rugby league player), Amelia Kuk (rugby league player), Gloria Kaupa (rugby league player)
Looking for: film festival directors, buyers, distributors, journalists
Facebook: Power Meri
Twitter: @PowerMeriFilm
Instagram: @powermerifilm
Hashtags used: #PowerMeri
Website: powermerifilm.com
Other: IMDb
Made in association with: Media Stockade
Funders: US State Department, Australian Government, National Rugby League Limited, ABC International Development, Screen Australia, Oil Search
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Athena Film Festival/Barnard Campus, New York - 29 February; WIM-N Women's History Month Film Festival, New Jersey - March (date TBC)