— Update, Sept 2022 — The documentary won the “Gouden Hert” competition 2022 at the International Short Films Festival in Arnhem.
In 2021 I was happy to be involved in the making of a documentary with Artist Mirthe Dokter, together with Rian van den Boom and others.
This unconventional docu shows an intriguing portrait of the leatherback sea turtle, threatened with extinction. In Ghana, artist Mirthe meets ‘Uncle Raf’, the leader of a turtle conservationists team in a small fishing town. Slowly, she gets entangled in the web of all the difficulties that come with protecting this ancient animal. Virtual artists Mirthe records her story in a painted diary, that she shares with a marine ecologist, Marjolijn, from the Netherlands.
This 30 min. documentary attempts to answer the question: what can be the role of artistic storytelling in scientific research and the global conversation on animal conservation? By sharing personal experiences in an artistic way, this film tries to reveal a relevant case-study of an under-researched area. For this research, visual artist Mirthe and I work together. A cooperation to be continued ….
The documentary premiered 3 September 2021 at the at Focus Film theater, Arnhem. Where the viewing was accompanied by a live Q&A session with the audience.
The documentary is one of the results of a long-term research project in Ghana by Mirthe Dokter. In 2022 she plans to return to Ghana and finish the project with a final part (artwork). In the documentary, Mirthe used her artistic archive to summarise her experiences and the stories of the people she met. She reflects in film and in stop motion animation.
Support the work of Mirthe. for example by booking a public screening (email: info@mirthedokter.nl), or order postcards
Credits of all art, photos in this post: Mirthe Dokter.
