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JAGO: A LIFE UNDERWATER

Film Info

48 minutes
​Underdog Films Production in association with James Morgan Films, Fantomline Pictures and Vistaar Productions
Available for Free AND Ticketed events
Synopsis:
Jago is the life story of of an 80 year old Bajau hunter who lives in a stilted bamboo hut in Sulawesi. The events of his life are voiced entirely by the yoda-like Rohani and recreated with existing Bajau people from local communities. Although Rohanis story is a very personal one, it explores every facet of our relationship with the ocean and each other.
film website

Action Items 

  • Educate yourself about native cultures and respect them for their deep cultural roots.
  • Do not fish for sport in areas where native ocean cultures reside
  • Protect the oceans to protect cultures who depend on them for survival.
    • Examples: - Eat only sustainable fish - Download the “Seafood Watch” app https://www.seafoodwatch.org/seafood-recommendations/consumer-guides - Reduce your use of single-use plastic and recycle what you cannot eliminate
  • Do not contribute to sea level rises - do your part to combat climate change
    • Examples: -Ride your bike instead of driving -Practice meatless mondays - Become Climate Neutral, learn how here: http://climateneutralnow.org/Pages/Home.aspx

Filmmaker Q & A

What inspired you to make this film?
 
James Reed: “A life long love for the ocean, diving and the Bajau people. But most significantly meeting James Morgan and Johnny Langenheim whose experience and access helped make a film, on a very unique Bajau man, a reality.”
 
James Morgan: “I've been photographing the Bajau and other marine nomads since 2009. When James R. suggested collaborating on Jago, I jumped at the opportunity. Spearfishing and free diving are innately cinematic, but there's also a bigger, more important story: the use of marine resources and the effect of wider changes on indigenous communities.” 
Were there any particularly meaningful moments or experiences in the process?
 
James Reed: “Finding Rohani (the star of Jago) for the second time in Sulawesi. We discovered him two years earlier but we had no idea whether we'd find him again when we came back to make the film. He has no phone and travels in his little sailboat a lot. We were so excited to find him but he was pretty calm and said he'd been expecting us. Aside from that, winning the Grand Teton at Jackson Hole was genuinely the most moving and meaningful experience of the whole thing.”

James Morgan: “Listening to Pak Rohani's life story slowly emerge over the course of a series of interviews was particularly satisfying. It's always an honour when someone entrusts you with their story in that way. Especially when you're dramatising reenactments.”
 
Describe some of the challenges
 
James Reed: “Shooting the whole film in 19 days, nobody getting paid and all expenses going on my credit card! These things cause a bit of stress but the team was exceptional and somehow the fact that none of us were earning from it made us focus on doing the absolute best we could. We had nothing to gain from it other than to do something we were proud of.”
 
James Morgan: “Shooting at sea and in boats is always complicated, lots of hanging over the side of boats and coordinating boat movements. There is one sequence that involved standing on the front of a boat with a gimbal as it approaches Rohani's hut and then jumping off through his doorway, whilst trying to keep the shot smooth.”

What are you working on now?
 
James Reed: “I'm working at Keo Films in Bristol. It's a smaller branch of a big London based company. They do some fantastic films, of all different kinds, and I'm really enjoying it.”
 
James Morgan: “I'm making a new drama set in the Arctic circle with the support of the BFI. It looks at some complicated issues, has some incredible landscapes and should be released later this year.”

Anything else you would like people to know?
 
James Reed: “Jago was a genuinely independent project. It had no financing from anywhere when we went to Indonesia to shoot. Being independent was a massive team effort and it would've been nothing without every person (in every role) falling in love with it, going the extra mile and making it the best it could be. Jago has faults, of course, but I still look at it today and think we did the best we could. I'm very proud of it and everyone involved.”
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240 S. Glenwood, Suite 112
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SITEMAP

  • Home
  • About
    • Board of Directors
    • Our Team
    • News Room
    • Blog
    • Contact Us
  • Collective
    • Action Coalitions
  • Get Involved
    • Donate
    • Become a Partner
    • Mentorships
    • Volunteer
    • Intern
  • Summits
    • 2020 Virtual Summit >
      • 2020 Session Recordings
      • Program & Schedule
      • Speakers
      • 2020 Partners
    • 2020 Summer Live Sessions
    • Jackson Wild: Austria >
      • About Burgenland
    • 2019 Summit >
      • 2019 Session Recordings
      • Programming
      • Exhibitors >
        • Exhibitor Workshops
        • XR Demos
      • 2019 Partners
    • Archive >
      • 2017 Festival & Summit
      • 2015 Festival & Summit
      • 2013 Festival & Summit
      • 2011 Film Competition
  • Awards
    • Media Awards >
      • 2020 Media Awards
      • 2019 Media Awards >
        • 2019 Judges
    • Legacy Awards >
      • 2020 Legacy Awards
    • Rising Star Award
  • New Frontiers
    • 2020 Media Lab >
      • 2020 Media Lab Fellows
      • 2020 Media Lab Contributors
    • 2020 Summit Fellows
    • 2020 Wild Women Media Lab: Africa
    • 2020 Virtual Kenya
    • 2019 Media Lab >
      • 2019 Media Lab Fellows
    • 2019 Summit Fellows
  • Global
    • On Tour >
      • Films
      • Schedule
      • Host an Event
      • Tour FAQ
      • Host Resources
    • World Wildlife Day Film Showcase >
      • Forests >
        • WWD Judge Application
      • Biodiversity >
        • Biodiversity: Final Jury
      • Living Oceans >
        • Ocean Finalists & Winners
        • Living Oceans Final Jury
      • Big Cats
      • Elephants