Que ce soit en France ou dans le désert australien, les femmes sont les gardiennes de l'harmonie de l'environnement et de la famille. Elles mènent leurs combats quotidiens, relèvent sans cesse de nouveaux challenges mais d'un côté comme de l'autre, rien n'est jamais parfait. Le film que j'envisage de réaliser est un soutien à l'initiative de femmes autochtones, dernières gardiennes de leurs traditions. Je les ai rencontrées en octobre 2019 et toutes sont motivées pour réaliser ce film, comme elles le disent  " On veut danser par le désert". Le tournage est un moteur à la fois pour aider les Aînées à conduire leurs jeunes sur les traces des ancêtres mais aussi d'échanger avec les femmes d'une autre culture sur tous les aspects du féminin. Dans leur voyage initiatique, les femmes apprendront les lois universelles qui régissent le monde. Ce voyage sera un manifeste pour valoriser les principes de la vie, du féminin, des cycles de la nature qu'ont su préserver les femmes aborigènes.

Le film, une fois terminé, permettra à la communauté de promouvoir leurs actions de préservation culturelle et de renforcer la jeunesse. Si je ne révèle pas encore le lieu, ni les noms des clans concernés, c'est par respect des lois aborigènes très strictes. Comme je ne tiens pas à me positionner en tant que référente ou spécialiste des Aborigènes, le film sera le moyen pour cette communauté de parler, en son nom, de ses problématiques.

L'argent récolté servira à payer les frais de voyage pour me rendre dans le désert mais aussi à assurer les frais de nourriture des femmes qui participeront au tournage. Je réaliserai le film en auto production comme je l'ai fait pour mon premier documentaire "La révolte des rêves" en 2014, qui a reçu 3 prix pour son engagement auprès de clans aborigènes du Territoire du nord. Avec ces 8000 euros, j'aurai juste de quoi assurer l'organisation et la logistique du tournage. Pour la post-production, je chercherai des fonds dans une seconde étape. Je précise que tous les co producteurs participatifs auront leur nom au générique !

Film in support of Aboriginal cultures and customs

Project Overview

A French woman wants to offer to her daughter-in-law,  16 years old, Aboriginal girl that has no connection to her traditional culture, the journey of her dreams : a traditional ceremony with initiated women living in the desert. The two women, in their quest for identity and feminin roots, will soon pass an ancestral rite for Mother and Daughter. A women encounter in the heart of Australia.

Project Origin and Context

For more than 10 years, I have been travelling through Aboriginal Australia in search of ancestral knowledges, nature and spirituality. Thanks to my camera, I have immersed myself in the life of those People, I have recorded their voices, their knowledge, their struggles to protect parts of their memory. In 2005, I met the most famous trackers in the country. In 2011, several tribes allowed me to film their fight to protect a sacred land against a nuclear waste dump. In 2018, initiated men from Queensland invited me to record some secret practices.  Thanks to those incredible encounters, 3 documentaries have been made and I have transformed myself into depth : « The last Australian trackers », « La révolte des rêves » ( Sovereignty Dreaming), « D'Ocre et de sang » ( France 5, France ô, Planète +CI, Ushuaia TV ). In 2021, I wrote a book to share my journey on aboriginal land   "Ma peau d'un autre monde", published by Mama éditions. Recently, I have met with elders from a community in the western desert at the Kimberley border. The women are the leaders of their People. They are committed to pass their heritage to the young generation. In this remote territory, many tribal cultures coexist trying to stay away from Western influences. Usually, the young women are initiated between the age of 12 and 18. But the young women grew up watching American culture on television. For them, rites of passage no longer have the meaning of the past. The idea of going on an initiating journey, of dancing naked is intimidating as to sing in a native language. With my 16-year-old daughter-in-law, ELLA, an Aboriginal Métis woman who has no connection to her traditional culture, we will make the journey of her dreams come true : to meet the last custodians of a thousand-years-old heritage. I will film ELLA’s journey and some aspects of the knowledge that will be passed to her. A come back to her roots.

Filmmaking

Whether in France or in the Australian desert, women are the custodians of harmony, land and family. They face their day-to-day battles and constant new challenges, but on either side, nothing is ever perfect. The film will be a support for indigenous women initiatives. I met them the last time in October 2019, they are motivated to make this film to show their culture overseas. Filming is also a  way to support them to take their young ones in the footsteps of the ancestors ; it’s  also an opening to exchange with another culture about our feminine roots. During their initiation on a sacred site, they will be taught the universal lores of creation, their role in society and to enhance their inner self . The film will be a manifesto to value the principles of life, the feminine and nature cycles that have always been preserved by Aboriginal women.

Commitment

The film, once completed, will allow the community to promote their cultural actions and to strengthen the aboriginal youth of this land. If I do not reveal the place yet, nor the names of the clans concerned, it is out of respect for the very strict aboriginal laws. As I do not want to position myself as a referent or specialist of Aborigines, the film will be the way for this community to speak, on its behalf, about its problems and dreams.

What will the money collected be used for?

The money raised will be used to pay the travel costs to go to the desert but also to insure the food costs of the women who will take part in the shooting. I will direct the film in a self-production as I did for my first documentary « La révolte des rêves" in 2014, which received 3 prizes for its commitment to Aboriginal clans fighting for their rights. With this 20,000 euros, I will have just enough to ensure the organization and logistics of the shooting. For post-production, I will look for funds in a second stage. I specify that all the co producers will have their name in the credits!

Team

Any work with traditional Aboriginal communities requires a total immersion, that is why I always work by my own making images and recording sound. I will be supported by volunteers along the way. I’ll also make the editing. I have some financial partners that are all non profit organizations ( Association Initiatives dionysennes, Plumes et regards…). The association Plumes et Regards is already a partner in the film’s distribution for a series of conference screenings in the Greater East and Belgium. Learn more about me : www.vanessaescalante.com