Morehill resident found her passion in film making
Benoni’s very own film maker, Yakima Waner will be showcasing her documentary ‘To Wake’ at the Ekotopfilm Festival in Prague Czech Republic this September.
The festival is used to promote issues of sustainable development in a comprehensive, entertaining way by screening documentary films and offering other attractive additional events.
The 29-year-old said she is very blessed to have been given an opportunity to convey the film’s message to the masses.
“Ekotopfilm festival is a great feather in our ‘film cap’ because it is recognised worldwide for its powerful stories about sustainable change,” said Waner.
Her documentary was filmed in a place called The valley of the Gods which is found in Banjar, a small village situated in Kullu in Himachal Pradesh India.
“The film’s narrative follows the journey of a remarkable five-year-old girl named Janisha who dedicates her life to sustaining and saving the forests around her.
“The child-like inspirational journey shows Janisha teach the women and children within her village to live a more empowered, sustainable and ‘aware’ life,” she said.
“The documentary has one core purpose which is to educate people about forest fires, climate change and women empowerment.”
Waner filmed the documentary with Sophie Patch who is a wildlife and human rights photographer.
When asked what inspired her to film the documentary she said: “I wanted to experience one of the harshest but most majestic environments known to man – the Himalayas.
I also wanted to film one of scarcest creatures on the planet, namely the endangered snow leopard.
The Morehill resident said the documentary was commissioned by Himalayan Ecotourism, an organisation which not only offers tours in the Himalays, but also encourages sustainable living and tries to empower women.
“This story took me out of my comfort zone and helped me find my calling as a documentarian,” she said.
In 2014, Waner graduated with a BA in Dramatic Arts at the University of Witwatersrand.
She then joined Africa Media in Mossel Bay as a freelance documentarian and also completed an internship at Felis Creation.
“That’s where we got the opportunity to create our first wildlife documentary about the African bush.
Waner is the Social and Environmental Awareness Documentarian and editor of Intent Conscious Media.
‘To Wake’ has also been shown at the Mzansi Women’s Film Festival this August.
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