Melbourne Documentary Film Festival 2020 – The Wheels of Wonder
An ambitious team of social impact creators enter Beirut to trial and test a curious prototype with the hope of improving the lives of refugee children.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer/Editor Roger Ungers
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
The Wheels of Wonder was born out of a trial called the “loose parts play carts” project in Beirut, Lebanon. This trial was facilitated by Playground Ideas, a not-for-profit social enterprise providing open-source playground building resources which benefit children all over the world.
As a videographer, video editor and photographer I was invited along to create video and photography content for their socials. I never went into this situation with the idea to make a documentary however I very soon realised that there was an amazing story unfolding in front of me and saw a wonderful opportunity to tell an uplifting and poignant story.
The documentary is truly a labour of love born out of a desire to tell a story around how an unusual innovation has the capacity to change the lives of children, specifically refugee children all around the world.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
This film approaches a tough situation (children being forcibly displaced from their home countries) from a different angle. I feel sometimes we dwell on the negative side of the refugee experience with seemingly no apparent light at the end of the tunnel. In this film, I wanted to highlight that there is hope for these children’s futures and development with something as simple as allowing them to play. I wanted to show uplifting moments of strength and resilience in the face of adversity whilst still highlighting the reality of the refugee situation in Beirut.
With this being one aspect of the film, there are still so many fascinating themes of innovation and examples of human compassion that the audience will discover throughout the narrative.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The film highlights how children have an inherent desire to play. I believe that is so universal and feel we can all personally relate to that from our early years, perhaps even into adulthood!
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
I went into filming with no script at all, I will most likely be criticised for this as a filmmaker however I knew there was something worth capturing being involved in this project.
It was very much a visceral process, I knew from the outset that the story needed to be told sequentially and that the surrounding themes and relevant questions to ask the team would arise from witnessing their interactions with each other.
The story unfolded in front of me and I saw myself as the facilitator of the narrative to the audience. The script was very much fully realised in the editing process, and you know what, I think it turned out pretty well!
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback has been really positive, more so than what I had expected being my first documentary of this length. I felt I had such a great story but was surprised at how people felt so moved by the subject matter, even to tears in some cases.
People said that they had furthered their knowledge about the impact of play on children’s development. It’s nice to know that you can shed a light on a world that we may not have otherwise known about or understood.
It’s an absolute win for me as I feel that that is what documentary storytelling is all about - opening up a new world to the audience.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I didn’t feel that I was surprised or challenged by the feedback in terms of my point of view.
I certainly do have a point of view, however, I feel most of the time my point of view in this documentary is superfluous with very little to no presence. I try not to manipulate an audience a certain way, but to allow them to form their own opinion with different perspectives presented in the story.
I feel that I am quite thoughtful in my storytelling and try to be balanced in the way I present the information. This allows the subjects in my documentaries the chance to show their point of view (whatever that may be) and be contrasted with someone who may think differently so the information can be somewhat polarising.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I want to entice people to see my work, to create an audience and hopefully, people will see something that resonates with them in my documentary.
As a fledgling documentary filmmaker I want to get my work out there and any great opportunity to promote my films is a blessing.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I am hoping to get a good festival run here in Australia and around the world which will hopefully lead to a distribution deal so more people can bear whiteness to the film’s messages.
At the end of the day, I really want to find that person that believes in me and my work to help foster what I am hoping will be a successful and sustainable career in documentary so I can continue to tell stories and engage people in the subject matter they may not have thought about or experienced before!
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I’m hoping that people will see how a simple thing such as play can have such an impact not only with refugee children but every child. If you form this opinion after seeing the film then you may be inspired to implement this into your family life so that every child can gain the benefits of something so simple.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
What do you believe is the most important thing for a child’s development?
Would you like to add anything else?
If you have read my interview this far then perhaps you should watch The Wheels of Wonder!
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I am currently in post-production for my next up and coming documentary which explores the notion of creativity from multiple points of view. It sheds a light on how creative people use and embrace it but also approaches the ups and downs of being a creative person. It’s an empowering piece that seeks to highlight and provide examples of how we can be creative in all aspects of our life.
Interview: June 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
The Wheels of Wonder
An ambitious team of social impact creators enter Beirut to trial and test a curious prototype with the hope of improving the lives of refugee children.
Length: 1:08:32
Director: Roger Ungers
Producer: Roger Ungers
Writer: Roger Ungers
About the writer, director and producer:
ROGER UNGERS is a Melbourne-based independent documentary filmmaker, freelance videographer, video editor and photographer. After studying film and TV at the Victorian College of the Arts, he has completed a myriad of video production projects including broadcast TV and online content. A member of the Australian Cinematographers Society for four years, he loves nothing more than creating work that is interesting, engaging and digs deep into the topic at hand.
Key cast: Marcus Veerman (Founder and CEO, Playground Ideas), Matt Green (Technical Lead), Emma Ribbens (Product Designer), Catherine Sewell (Play Specialist), Dr Robyn Mildon (Executive Director, Centre for Evidence and Implementation), Elias Ayoub (Director – Lebanon and Jordan, Right to Play) and Janine Chehade (Project Officer, Right to Play Lebanon)
Looking for: sales agents, distributors, film festival directors, buyers, producers
Instagram: @rogerungers
Website: www.rogerungers.com/the-wheels-of-wonder-documetary
Made in association with: Playground Ideas
Funders: Self-funded
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Melbourne Documentary Film Festival (MDFF)
Festival is postponed, but there will be an advanced online preview from 30th June 2020 till 15th July 2020.