Connecting the dots across the vast Pacific Ocean to promote his debut film, Black Python, at the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture in Hawaii, USA, is a young Papua New Guinean medical doctor turned filmmaker.
At the enormous Hawaii Convention Centre in the center of Honolulu City, where more than two thousand indigenous Pacific Islanders are celebrating their ethnic arts and cultural heritage, Spencer Peter Wangare told his story on the big screen yesterday.
A 100-minute gritty urban drama directed and produced by Spencer tells the story of a streetwise drug dealer named Badu who takes a big risk by letting a young hustler named John join his crew, only to realize later that he may have put John in serious danger.
As a technically demanding field in the arts and creative industry, filmmaking is currently not a popular career choice for Papua New Guineans.
Spencer explained that the film is only 85% finished, but it took him nearly ten years to produce.
After two years of practicing medicine to please his parents, he told fellow filmmakers during the film’s premiere that he had discovered his passion for filmmaking.
Approximately sixty young Papa New Guineans were gathered by the self-taught director and producer Spencer, who trained them all by himself to become camera operators, editors, and screenwriters.
However, he was only able to keep five of them, as the others left for better opportunities.
He expressed his gratitude to the National Cultural Commission for supporting him and believing in him to showcase his work at the Pacific festival that is taking place in Hawaii.
Through this festival, he has been able to establish strong connections and exchange stories with other filmmakers from Pacific Islands.
“Even though the film is 85 percent done, I am getting a very good reception and feedback so far from professionals.”