In 2008 I started work on a micro-documentary series, my first self-produced documentary of any worth. During my two years at Open Channel I was committed to supporting independent, low-budget, mixed media production that did not shy from traditional techniques, but took to embracing new technologies. An opportunity arose to create such a project myself, and with the support of my friends and colleagues, and a two year artists residency, I’d finally completed Sarawak Gone.

Sarawak Gone is an extremely low-budget documentary shot on handycams, pocket-sized digital cameras, a FlipCam and even a webcam. The project accrued around AUD$5000 of funding which covered logistics on the ground in Sarawak, digital storage and video tape. I’d piggy-backed on airfares funded by other projects I’d been working on to get myself in and out of East Malaysia and with considerable in-kind time from mates in the biz (David Nerlich, Wind & Sky Productions, Sarawak Access and the Association for Progressive Communications), I ended up with not only a short-format documentary series, but a range of exhibition works too.

This version of Sarawak Gone is a full length 30 minute documentary collated from the micro-docs. It’s by no means perfect, but thus far, in-spite of its low budget qualities, it’s had two festival screenings, one in the Philippines (AGITPROP) and another in Canada (Indigenous Film Festival).

Sarawak Gone was produced with the support and assistance of:

• Sarawak Access
• Bruno-Manser-Fonds
• Pro REGENWALD
• Umverteilen!
• apc.au
• Association for Progressive Communications
• Dunmoochin Foundation Artists in Residence Program
• Creative Commons Clinic, Australia