Private Project

MANA

This film is a collection of stories shared by local tour guides from around the globe, woven into a visual essay exploring our relationship with the natural world.

Historically, human societies were deeply connected to nature through indigenous practices. However, as recent history unfolds, we have become increasingly distanced from our evolutionary home.

Factors such as colonialism, industrialization, and the rise of modern religions have contributed to this disconnection. Among these, urbanization and tourism are highlighted as particularly relevant themes in the film.

These stories are accompanied by a poetic narration from the filmmaker, who shares her internal journey of transitioning from a city dweller to recognizing herself as a part of nature.

  • Bhavna Shivayogimath
    Director
  • Bhavna Shivayogimath
    Writer
  • Bhavna Shivayogimath
    Producer
  • Juha Paananen
    Producer
  • Hetta Huhtamäki
    Producer
    Hetta Huhtamäki is a Producer/Director based in Berlin. She works at Agenturfuerkrankemedien GmbH As a digital narrative consultant helping museums and cultural institutions create innovative knowledge sharing platforms. Before stepping on the digital playground Hetta had previously produced a documentary series ‘On the way to Turku’ for nisi masa, which respectively premiered at the 65th critics week at Cannes film festival. She has worked as a producer and a director for both fiction and documentaries. She drives for honest and touching stories - currently focused on environmental and feminist themes.
  • Harri Huhtamäki
    Music by
  • Tapani Rinne
    Music by
  • Tuomas Norvio
    Music by
  • Mikko Toiviainen
    Editors
    Mikko Toiviainen is a media educator and audiovisual production professional based in Helsinki, Finland and Berlin, Germany. He is motivated in his work by the possibilities of collaborative and shared meaning-making in both teaching and producing audiovisual works, and by the futile quest to grasp the ever evolving audiovisual language. In his BA, he has studied media production from a practical perspective, and worked extensively as a video editor, cameraman and reporter. Through the Masters’ program in visual and media anthropology he has widened his applied knowledge to the realms of visual ethnographic research and the politics of representation. As a media educator and workshop instructor he has worked widely with many age groups across various social and geographical environments.
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Experimental
  • Genres:
    Nature, Travel, Indigenous, Environment
  • Runtime:
    33 minutes 50 seconds
  • Country of Origin:
    Singapore
  • Country of Filming:
    Bolivia, Plurinational State of, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Tanzania, United Republic of, Vanuatu
  • Language:
    English, Finnish, Other, Portuguese, Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Bhavna Shivayogimath

Bhavna Shivayogimath is a filmmaker and visual artist currently living in Berlin. She graduated from New York University's Tisch Asia School of the Arts with a Masters of Fine Arts in Film and Television Production. She has collaborated with Tisch alumni Wee, Li Lin, Singapore’s leading filmmaker and produced Lin’s feature length film ‘Baby Bumps’ (2016) which was commissioned by Mediacorp Channel 5. 

In addition, Bhavna is a self-taught painter and her body of work comprises of mixed media paintings and murals that explore topics of female identity and diversity in contemporary urban life.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

In 2017 I took a sabbatical year to travel. We were initially interested in meeting communities that live in close proximity with nature and learning about their world.

Eventually with their permission I began filming and interviewing people along the way. At first I was mainly interested in learning and documenting the lives and thoughts of our guides who showed us around their villages and introduced us to their families.

Eventually these conversation and experiences started revealing the limitations of my own perspective, as someone who has only lived in big cities.

It made me aware that perhaps the absence of nature in my life, as a result of being raised in mega metropolises, could be more significant than I thought.

These are the thoughts and ideas that I have tried to put together in this film.