Filmmaker and environmental journalist Swati talks to us concerning the award-winning movie, that options her husband Craig Foster forging a relationship with an octopus
When My Octopus Trainer first debuted on Netflix, viewers have been not sure what to make of it from the title. Was it a sci-fi fantasy? An animation movie?
However then, the word-of-mouth started, and the small mission rapidly grew into one of the standard documentaries of 2020. Tracing the tender, virtually mentor-like relationship between a sea diver and a standard octopus in South Africa, the 85-minute lengthy movie is a poetic, visible feast that has managed to ring a bell with audiences worldwide.
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Directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed, My Octopus Trainer stars naturalist and documentary filmmaker Craig Foster, as he takes us by the wondrous story in an underwater kelp forest.
Foster’s spouse, Swati Thiyagarajan can also be a filmmaker, environmentalist and journalist, who served as affiliate producer and manufacturing supervisor on the mission. Initially from Chennai, Swati is famend for her work as a conservationist, and is a core member of the Sea Change Challenge, that contributes to the long-term safety of South Africa’s marine setting.
Additionally Learn: The whole record of winners at Oscars 2021
This week, My Octopus Trainer bagged the Oscar for Greatest Documentary Function on the 93rd Academy Awards, (it additionally received the BAFTA earlier) and Swati’s contribution to the movie has been hailed in India, as an essential step in direction of encouraging documentary filmmakers within the nation.
Swati and the group of ‘My Octopus Trainer’ celebrating their BAFTA win earlier this month
Speaking to us from South Africa the place she at present resides (she nearly celebrated the Oscars win as she couldn’t be in L.A), Swati and her group are nonetheless ready for the achievement to sink in, as she takes us by how the distinctive mission was made, and what this worldwide recognition means to them. Excerpts from an interview:
How was such an distinctive concept for the documentary first conceptualised?
Craig began to dive within the Nice African Seaforest — on the southern tip of South Africa — on a regular basis about ten years in the past, when he wanted to get better from dealing with burnout at work.
Previous to this, he had made three or 4 motion pictures back-to-back; all large wildlife movies with deadlines, deliverables, shoot schedules and many others. By the point he was achieved, he had pushed himself too far and wasn’t certain if he wished to be a filmmaker anymore.
The place the place he was most comfortable was all the time the ocean. So within the technique of doing that, he actually immersed himself within the Seaforest ecosystem, and learnt the way to observe underwater, when he met his “octopus instructor”.
Then started the extraordinary yr of having the ability to observe her life. There was no plan on the time to make a movie. The ecosystem slowly revitalised and gave him again power, and he began filming once more actually from an exploration examine perspective. It was later within the course of that we thought we had a narrative right here; Pippa (the co-director) got here on board, and it actually began to crystallise.
It was Craig’s genuine, skilled story we wished to inform; we didn’t design it round how a worldwide viewers may react. That there was this unbelievable response was staggering.
Why do you suppose the themes in ‘My Octopus Trainer’ have resonated a lot with viewers?
I believe whereas it’s a nature documentary within the broad sense, it has additionally come throughout as a love letter to nature as an entire, and the octopus being an emblem of that. It’s a film about deep connection, empathy, therapeutic, belonging… and these are common human feelings. It’s been extra pronounced due to this tragic disconnected yr now we have all had as people, isolating and distancing ourselves, and shedding family members.
Have been there any challenges confronted throughout the deep underwater shoots?
Craig has been a filmmaker alongside along with his brother for about 30 years now. He has all the time achieved his personal digital camera work — and previous to this — he filmed sharks in a movie referred to as Sharkman and crocodiles in Into The Dragon’s Lair. So he’s very adept at filming underwater.
Being a free-diver, he can maintain his breath for longish durations of time, and likewise is aware of the place to put a digital camera, the most effective angles for the sunshine and movie, and many others. We additionally had Roger, our director of images, who is likely one of the world’s finest underwater digital camera individuals, go together with him on a number of of the dives.
What was your position within the mission because the affiliate producer and manufacturing supervisor?
As Craig is my accomplice, and I’m concerned in conservation and wildlife myself, he would share with me tales from his diving experiences on a regular basis, and focus on the footage and images.
Swati with co-director Pippa Ehrlich and Craig Foster
Our govt producer Ellen Windemuth is an outdated pal of Craig’s, and had earlier made a movie referred to as The Nice Dance with him. She too suggested on the story after which we got here up with a tough define for the doc. All the enhancing and filming all occurred out of a room in my home, and I used to be concerned by all the processes.
Your movie was the favorite within the class going into the Oscars ceremony; was the win anticipated?
It was nonetheless an amazing shock as a result of our fellow nominees have been very good movies, and each doc had the suitable to win. So it was laborious to simply imagine we might succeed. Once they first introduced the nominees, and we noticed our clip up there, after which they introduced the winner… we have been so excited. It’s nonetheless sinking in!
What would you need audiences to remove after watching the movie, now that it’s getting world publicity?
That we’re wild, that we people are an intrinsic a part of nature… as a result of we’re nature. That we belong. That wild locations and wild animals are infinitely valuable. That our fellow non-human animals on the planet are a present, and are on this identical voyage of life as us. That bio-diversity is tremendously essential and we have to rediscover our deep bonds with nature, which is in our DNA. That empathy and connection is vital. And naturally, that this nice African Seaforest ecosystem is great and value long-term safety.
Swati with different members of the ‘My Octopus Trainer’ documentary group
What’s subsequent for you and Craig, any extra movie tasks within the pipeline?
Nothing for some time, as tales should stream organically. We’re diving and swimming within the Seaforest on a regular basis. The Sea Change Challenge which Craig co-founded, of which I’m a component, is dedicated to telling tales, primarily based in science and genuine immersive experiences. We’ll proceed to share the enjoyment and therapeutic nature brings us, with as many individuals as potential.
Your win has created numerous cheer in India as somebody representing the nation on the Oscars…
It’s pretty if it has created cheer. I reside in South Africa now, however most of my life was lived in India. Proper now, I’m so completely heartbroken on the utterly terrible scenario within the nation with COVID-19. The pandemic, in a big half, is due to our exploitation of the pure world. It’s most definitely my experiences in India in nature that formed me, my concepts and ideas; that’s the a part of India I introduced with me to this movie.
What’s your tackle the assist given to documentaries in India, and will a win like this affect it positively going ahead?
We now have among the very best filmmakers in India within the documentary area, who’re very good storytellers in wildlife, social and political areas. The work is excellent, so it’s disheartening to see not a lot assist for documentary movies within the nation.
The factor is, we shouldn’t underestimate our audiences both. I bear in mind once I was a pupil in Delhi at Jamia, all the movie festivals with documentaries ran to packed halls. There’s this wilful blindness within the considering that solely business tasks work.
Documentaries are dismissed as social topics, and that’s extremely short-sighted as a result of they are often something, from a protest filmed on a cellphone to a carefully-crafted wildlife movie. There are too few grants, too few foundations, and it’s actually unhappy as a result of the expertise is superb and the uncooked supplies for tales in India is limitless.
I don’t know if a win like this might make a distinction, however the truth that right this moment audiences devour movies in another way… it’s not simply in theatres, however on-line, streaming platforms and different mediums. That is thrilling as a result of it provides everybody the chance to suppose out-of-the-box, reset issues, and create funding for documentaries, as a result of there’s alternative to display screen them and attain audiences.
My Octopus Trainer is at present streaming on Netflix