Students of the Month: January

January’s Students of the Month are second year lovelies, Alice Rowsome and Eliza Upadhyaya. The pair – along with their team – are creating a feature length documentary on the effects of climate change on the Kallawayas of Bolivia, entitled Pachamama. 

Inspired by last year’s Daughters of Dolma, a documentary made by St Andrews students in Nepal, the girls say it showed them what was possible. Their interest in Bolivia stemmed from a wider shared interest in Latin America, and for Eliza in particular, as she saw many similarities with Nepal where she grew up. As the poorest country on the continent, the impact of climate change on Bolivia has been staggering, and it is indigenous people like the Kallawaya who suffer the most.

As traditional healers with immense botanical knowledge, even the smallest change to their environment can be devastating for the Kallawaya. Living in what is already an extremely harsh environment, climate change makes every part of the Kallawaya’s lives more difficult. Changes to the ecosystem impact their healing abilities and limits the opportunities available to the younger generation, seeing many move away from a traditional way of life. For them, the relationship they have with their environment is intensely personal; it is as if a member of their family has fallen ill, this relationship what the girls want their audience to understand.

Both feel that documentaries are so important because of their accessibility. Being visually engaging and easily translatable, they offer opportunities that other forms of media cannot. Having themselves been motivated by other documentaries, they understand their power to motivate others and really change the way they see things. They plan to shoot the film with wide-angle lenses so that they can capture the whole of the environment in all its natural beauty.

They put together their team by advertising in the Wednesday memos and word of mouth, and are thrilled to have such a range of people with their own unique interests working on the project. Crucially, the team includes two PhD students who have lived and worked with the Kallawaya and have given them vital connections. Their contacts in Bolivia have been highly supportive and they are excited to spend the summer on location putting their ideas into practice.

Currently, their biggest focus is on their Kickstarter campaign, which launched this January. They are incredibly grateful for the support they have received from the university, in terms of funding and the input of various members of staff, but are currently fundraising for the remainder of their budget, aiming to raise £8000. The returns for backers range from acknowledgement in the credits to tickets to the premiere, so be sure to check it out! The plan is to spend 6 weeks filming in June and July and the team is aiming for a January 2015 release date. Then it will (hopefully!) be a whirlwind of film festivals and competitions. The Stand wishes them all the very best of luck!

For more details check out their website and their Kickstarter campaign.

 Do you know somebody worthy of the ‘Student of the Month’ title? Get in touch (cs214) and tell us! Maybe they are doing some great charity work, or found you a fabulous house on Market Street, or even just cleaned you up after a particularly heavy night….we want to hear all about them. 

Photo credit: Vance Gellert