Although extensive research has tested the validity of conservation management practices, there has not yet been a full-length documentary depicting the lifestyles and livelihoods of residents living within communities inside of a marine protected area (MPA). Simalakama confronts the human element of conservation in Bunaken National Marine Park (BNMP), Indonesia, where a community of 30,000 people have resided for over a century in harmony with nature. The documentary explores the sensitive balance necessary to safeguard biodiversity, cultural tradition, and livelihoods by providing an introspective look at the sociopolitical and economic climate of the marine park.
Simalakama will be shot on location on the northern end of North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Following a woven nattative structure, the story line is crafted from a diverse portfolio of characters of the marine park as they function in their daily lives, each representing a unique demographic strata. While these individuals, groups, and communities interact, the camera will be as unobtrusive as possible. However, our main characters will also turn to the camera and reflect in private. This is where we will begin to form an understanding personal values and reflection. These interactions with the camera will not be staged, but rather will be reflective of the comfortable relationship the small production unit will have with each character.
The production crew of Simalakama is small, experienced, cultured, and personable. Each member has recently visited the marine park, and Brad Wilcox, our Executive Producer, has been working in the marine park since 2007. Our translator is also widely known and well liked. The familiarity of community members with the team and our ease of movement will be a crucial element in telling this compelling story.
Complimenting our narrative will be a visual representation of this incredibly profound and beautiful tropical ecosystem. A large portion of the end of our shooting schedule will be devoted to capturing the sublime natural settings of the area: island volcano of Manado Tua; lush highland rainforests of Minahasa; fringing reef fish and coral communities; and rare species of Lembeh Strait’s unique ecosystem. Located in the heart of the coral triangle, the region is rich with teeming flora and fauna – both above and below the water line, and is among the world’s greatest biodiversity.
A film fundamentally concerned with a quest for balance, Simalakama itself will reflect this balance through its portrayal of the breathtaking beauty, human and biological diversity of this unique marine park. It will present livelihoods and conservation challenges that people in BNMP are faced with and confronting today. Simalakama is not secondary interpretation; rather, it communicates directly the essence of BNMP in an objective form that is as close to an accurate representation as possible of the intricacies of everyday life inside this amazing marine park.
