Newport Beach Film Festival - Haze, it's complicated…
Pragmatic farmers, concerned scientists and driven activists share their experience with peat haze pollution and express their conflicting opinions about the conversion of the Southeast Asian peatland forests into oil palm farms.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Isaac Kerlow
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Much of the peat forests of southeast Asia has been systematically destroyed to make room for industrial oil palm farming. This destruction went unnoticed until the smoke haze from the fires started to pollute cities in a massive way. Then all the forces behind this situation became more evident and some steps were taken to start to address the issue.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
You should watch this film because a large portion of the food and cosmetic products in supermarkets throughout much of the world use palm oil as an ingredient which means that we have a role in the destruction or preservation of the forests that are being destroyed to make room for palm oil production. In addition, if you live in Southeast Asia this issue exemplifies the complexity of some challenges in this part of the world and how they reach across social, economical, scientific, political and health spheres.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
It doesn't get more universal than nature, and the impact that forests have on society. We try to bring many intimate perspectives on the issue of haze ranging from transmigrant farmers that benefited to natives who have almost lost everything because of oil palm farming.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
When making a documentary film you encounter new twists and turns as you explore the story deeper. Each interview revealed new aspects of the issue and we pursued as many as we could within our timeframe and budget. By the end of filming we were quite expert in topics that we knew nothing about at the start of production.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Word of mouth or the film has been very positive. It is the first film of its kind in Southeast Asia and local and regional NGOs have been enthusiastic. We are screenings at community centers, universities and showing the film to government official.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
It is still early to tell because the film just premiered in early April but we believe that the film touches many issues that have not been touched before to this depth or with this level of clarity.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I hope that people are motivated by this story to go and watch the film at the Newport Beach Film Festival!
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We'd love to find the right partner to distribute the movie in the US and internationally, and we also look forward to film festival directors considering our film for their lineups.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
We hope to clarify some issues that are not well know when it comes to the issue of oil palm, peatlands and haze pollution, so that people in general and specialists can have more productive discussions. We hope that people are touched and entertained by our extensive use of animation to present scientific concepts and also of drone footage.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
What do you think about the impact that palm oil is having in Southeast Asia and the rest of the world. The key question I believe is about what's next? How do we find a balance between producing palm oil and preserving the habitats of native people and natural ecosystems that have an important role in related scopes?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
We are completing a feature film about survivors of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, and another one about the tragic destruction of homes and schools during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. https://art-science-media.com/
Interview: April 2018
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, scifi, 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
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Haze, it's complicated…
Pragmatic farmers, concerned scientists and driven activists share their experience with peat haze pollution and express their conflicting opinions about the conversion of the Southeast Asian peatland forests into oil palm farms.
Length: 70 min
Director: Isaac Kerlow
Producer: Isaac Kerlow
Writer: Isaac Kerlow
About the writer, director and producer:
Isaac Kerlow has lived in Southeast Asia for over a decade where he and his team develop creative projects inspired by Earth, science and natural hazards.
Key cast: CHARLES HARVEY, ALEXANDER COBB, HARIS GUNAWAN, and RUDI SYAF.
Looking for distributors, film festival directors, journalists
Social media handles: @peathaze Twitter: Instagram:
Other: https://art-science-media.com/haze/
Funders: Earth Observatory of Singapore, National Research Foundation, MOE, AXA Research Fund
Made in association with:
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Newport Beach Film Festival, Godollo Nature Film Festival, just getting started in the film festival circuit