An Interview With Edward Sylvan
I hope I am able to bring at least a tiny bit of amusement, bewilderment and awareness to people through my documentaries. In my TEDx talk, I am talking about something I call The Indigenous Model, which I think is crucial for our survival and well-being in the future. This model could also stimulate diversity on all levels, and lead to a happier and more interesting life. It is not a Utopia. It is a Newtopia.
But, more concretely, I have developed an online system to generate income from my film Newtopia that works on autopilot. I am giving 50% of all the income, and 100% of all donations directly to Aman Paksa and the communities in Newopia. It is a joy to me that the film can contribute positively to the local communities.
As a part of our series about “Filmmakers Making A Social Impact” I had the pleasure of interviewing Director Audun Amundsen.
He is a Norwegian filmmaker who makes participatory and performative documentaries under his company GonzoDocs. Not only is he the producer, director and videographer of the documentary short Help! I’ve Gone Viral!, he also had the same role titles in his debut film Newtopia which has been 15 years in the making and financed by The Norwegian Film Institute, The Norwegian Art Council, Filminvest, Mid Norwegian Film Center, NHK Japan and VGtv. Audun is now focusing on his new documentary Click The Link Below, but after receiving requests from audiences, distributors and sales agents, he is also in the stages of making a 52-minute edit of the film Help! I’ve Gone Viral. A rough cut is expected to be ready in June, and the final version is set to be ready in August.
Thank you so much for doing this interview with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit. Can you share your “backstory” that brought you to this career?
A pivotal moment in my life that probably changed everything, was when I lost my flight back home to Norway in 2004. I had a 3-month tour-return ticket to Mumbai. I was far up in the Himalayas when I realized that I had totally forgotten about my return. I ended up traveling all over South-East Asia for almost 2 years. That’s when I met Aman Paksa, who was a shaman living deep in the jungle of Mentawai in Indonesia. They were a people that had been living a traditional lifestyle without money, electricity or machines for centuries. I was in awe.
When I eventually returned to Norway, I felt disconnected and confused about my future. I felt like I had only 2 choices: University or labour that would end up in an easy, safe and stable life, however boring… Or I could decide that I wanted to travel and make impactful documentaries which basically meant challenges, unpredictability, potential poverty and interesting situations.
I chose the latter. And partly because of that, I ended up homeless at times, living in a cardboard box. Over the years I suffered a brain stroke, and needed heart surgery, probably because of overwork. I won on a lottery scratch card, got skin cancer and all kinds of turbulence, but I stuck to my decision, which had eventually become an obsession — Making a documentary about Aman Paksa, while concocting an awesome life journey.
Today, I have finished 2 extensive performative and participatory documentaries and developing the 3rd one. I have gone from not having a filmmaking education to having received governmental and non-governmental funding multiple times for my films and sold them to major festivals and TV channels worldwide. I have done hundreds of lectures about the topics in my films and filmmaking in general. I have slowly but steadily carved out a distinctive place for myself in the international documentary industry.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your filmmaking career?
Where to begin!! Well, the whole period of compiling material and editing rough-cuts for Newtopia was pretty crazy. I lived in the home of Bang Id, a former gangster boss, and his family in Padang in Indonesia. We became really good friends, and he even named his daughter after me. We were spacing out with all kinds of creative processes. At some point, we dug a 3-meter deep hole in their entire living room, because we had some idea about making an underground tunnel leading to a place of unity and meditation. Eventually, the walls in his home started to curve in on each other, and after a huge earthquake, we decided to fill the hole as quickly as possible. We had to get truckloads of stones to fill up our hole. I still don’t understand what the hell we were thinking. While this was going on, I was making animations for Newtopia. It was around 2010, so before drones had become easily available. I wanted panoramic views of the jungle in my film, so I decided to make animations, which I had never done before. Bang Id and I also decided that we needed a futuristic, but peaceful spaceship in the jungle scene in order to set up a contrast with the traditional jungle lifestyle of Aman Paksa and his clan. The animation became quite complex, and it estimated 24 days to render out of my laptop. Being inexperienced, I set my laptop to render out everything in one single video file. Everything was flowing smoothly, until after 23 days and 16 hours, the power shut down. The batteries of my laptop was weak after running on solar panel power for years in the jungle, so the whole thing broke down. The whole animation gone! Bang Id brought me a homemade juice from one of my favourite fruits. “You just have to be like the water in a river. When you hit a rock, you just flow by in the easiest way possible,” he chuckled. The equatorial heat and humidity in the house was excruciating. My whole body was soaked in sweat. I wanted to trash the whole laptop. Luckily a sip of Bang Id’s juice cooled me off. That was the way I learned that I of course have to render out an animation image by image. I decided not to use the animation in the film by the way, and in retrospect, I can see all the insane and unnecessary things I have done in the process of making Newtopia. But, then again, that 15-year journey caught on film would never have been the same without them.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
One of the most interesting people I have interacted with is the main character of my film Newtopia, the shaman Aman Paksa. I met him when he was a young and strong man in his best age. This is about 17 years ago now, and we still keep in touch regularly. Initially, I thought Aman Paksa was so interesting because of his traditional lifestyle. It was very fascinating to me how he was so connected with his environment. But, after living for years with Aman Paksa and his family learning their unwritten language, I realised that it wasn’t because of his lifestyle or the way he was thinking that triggered my fascination. It was his way of behaving. His calmness, carefreeness and harmonious energy. It felt like he had all the knowledge ingrained into his body until his fingertips without any need or means for verbalising it. No empirical reflection, just pure being. He has an aura of kindness, steadfastness and strength that I have rarely experienced. My own life has always been in stark contrast to his in so many ways; erratic, unpredictable and full of ups and downs. Being for such a long time in the jungle felt like a long meditation. It was like a bubble of time and I am so happy I have had the chance to get a glimpse of Aman Paksa’s state of being.
I have also interacted with many influential people in various disciplines, from politicians, businesspeople to charlatans. While I do think many of these highly specialised people have very interesting minds and actions, I have seldomly felt a genuine calmness and comfort in their presence. Maybe because their interaction outside the confines of their own inner circle often happens in the context of achievement, needing or wanting.
When I was making my second documentary Help, I’ve gone Viral!, I was invited to a dinner party at the governor’s house in West Sumatra. At this time, in 2017, Aman Paksa had already traveled to the city with me, so he decided to leave the jungle and pack his bags to come see me. I invited him to join the dinner party. Aman Paksa had dressed up in his secondhand oversized suit. He treated all the influential and rich Indonesians as he would treat anyone else; curious and friendly with an inviting smile on his face. When I was watching Aman Paksa from a distance mingling with all the politicians and businessmen under the high ceiling held by huge marble columns, my heart felt like bursting. Aman Paksa’s aura could outcompete anyone else’s in the room combined, yet he is one of the least influential people in the world.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
Now I am working on my new film called Click The Link Below. And as usual, I am living and breathing my projects. This time I am diving into a world totally different from traditional junglelife. Having jumped into the never-ending rabbit hole of self-proclaimed online experts and coaches, I am trying to recreate a particular blueprint to success by a very expensive coach. “It is scientifically impossible for this not to work,” I have been told. Let’s put it to a test, while visiting the people and examining the effects of one of the fastest-growing industries in the world.
Although it might sound strange, I feel like this project is a natural evolution of my life and filmmaking career. I love projects that can tell us something about our human nature.
Which people in history inspire you the most? Why?
I am inspired by people who act relentlessly towards their goal(s). I am inspired by high-achieving individuals in any and every discipline. There are too many to mention, so I won’t get into particulars.
On the other hand I am equally fascinated by people who manage to live life in contentment without any particular ambition or direction. In a sense that is also inspirational to me, and to a certain degree even enviable. Though, I am not entirely sure this really exists.
Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview, how are you using your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting social impact causes you are working on right now?
I hope I am able to bring at least a tiny bit of amusement, bewilderment and awareness to people through my documentaries. In my TEDx talk, I am talking about something I call The Indigenous Model, which I think is crucial for our survival and well-being in the future. This model could also stimulate diversity on all levels, and lead to a happier and more interesting life. It is not a Utopia. It is a Newtopia.
But, more concretely, I have developed an online system to generate income from my film Newtopia that works on autopilot. I am giving 50% of all the income, and 100% of all donations directly to Aman Paksa and the communities in Newopia. It is a joy to me that the film can contribute positively to the local communities.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and take action for this cause? What was that final trigger?
Traveling and actually living the experience, instead of just reading, has given me many Aha Moments, but I can share one in particular. When I lived in my friend’s house in Indonesia, the cigarette giant Lucky Strike offered to renovate his house which was also functioning as a student restaurant for a huge university nearby. They would do it for free! But, there was one condition: The cafe had to look like a cigarette commercial. This was so provoking to me that I decided to make a counter-bid to the cafe owner, Bang Id. I suggested that Aman Paksa and his friends could build traditional houses that could function as his cafe instead. I would pay the Mentawaians a fair amount of money for the job, while Bang Id would provide food and shelter. Bang Id took my offer, and Lucky Strike left with the tail between its legs.
The Mentawaians gathered Sagu palm leaves for the cafe roof and second-hand timber from buildings destroyed by the earthquake. It was a good example of a sustainable economy for people who were used to being exploited. Most people in the Muslim-dominated city of Padang didn’t think highly about the Mentawaians. Savages. But, Bang Id greeted them with an open heart, and they worked for over a month on his cafe. Two fundamentally different cultures existing within one country had found a meeting point, and everyone’s impression of each other changed dramatically. Bang Id and Aman Paksa remain friends to this day, and sometimes Aman Paksa even goes to visit him all by himself.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
Because of the film sales I have been doing on www.newtopiafilm.com, I was able to transfer about $10,000 to Aman Paksa and Bang Id the other day. This is only a part of the Newtopia film sales fund that I am building. Now Aman Paksa will help to renovate the 10-year-old rooftop of Bang Ids student cafe. They administer the project on their own terms. The fund will also help Aman Paksa to build a new traditional house in the jungle and secure the schooling of his son. I am indeed the facilitator of the systems that has made the film and its online sales a reality, but the content is as much theirs as it is mine. Therefore I wouldn’t attribute this to myself, but everyone who has been a part of the Newtopia project.
Almost every day I get messages from people who have been deeply touched by Newtopia. The film is truly an immense, soul-wrecking, humorous and sobering tale from a disappearing world that brings us to a place in time that will never be documented again.
Are there three things that individuals, society or the government can do to support you in this effort?
As an individual, please go to www.newtopiafilm.com and buy Newtopia. You will then be able to watch the film and over 30 minutes of bonus material anytime, as many times as you want. As mentioned, 50% of the sales, and 100% of all donations, will go directly to the good causes mentioned.
As a society, cherish and facilitate for diversity on all levels.
As for governments, I hope they will lead us towards our Indigenous Model as quickly as possible. So, please check out my TEDx talk here: https://www.ted.com/talks/audun_amundsen_a_formula_for_happiness
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
- Find tight and reliable collaboration partners
This is something I have learned the hard way after trying to do everything myself in the filmmaking business. It leads to a total breakdown.
- Narrow down, outsource wisely and automate if possible
Finding clarity about my goal and then reverse engineer the process to get there has been really valuable for me. The quickest route to reach the goal is to find out what really matters and then find collaboration partners that are better than yourself. Although I am a skilled editor, it was much better to pay a renowned editor to collaborate with me on Newtopia.
- Read as many books as you can
It is amazing how much knowledge you can get for a couple of bucks. Books are probably some of my best investments ever.
- Invest in your own and others growth
Growing and seeing other people grow is such a thrill. Without progress, I don’t think I can be happy.
- Do your best to understand economics
It is not enough to want money. Money is just an accepted idea. Being more focused on what you can contribute, instead of what you want, will facilitate the exchange of real value, often in your own favor and in the form of money. I used to not understand the value of money and I didn’t even care about money. That was a mistake because I can see now how much good I can do with them. And by the way, with economics, I am also thinking in terms of a more holistic perspective.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
Making a positive impact on our environment or society will not only be of benefit for others, but for yourself. Doing something that will leave a positive footprint will make you happier.
And then, when doing your thing, be relentless, super-ambitious, humble and energy-efficient. Time and money is generally not the problem, energy is. Figure out the 20%s that make an impact and do more of that. Sounds like a lot of work, but you’ll come to love the feeling of accomplishment.
We are very blessed that many other Social Impact Heroes read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, whom you would like to collaborate with, and why? He or she might see this. 🙂
At this point in time, I would like to collaborate with Tony Robbins. I have been following him for a long time and I have been reading his books. I guess you could say that Tony is the epitome of coaches. I have been to his events before corona as well, and it is a pretty crazy experience.
I would love to have him in my next film Click The Link Below.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Honestly, I am not a sucker for Life Lesson Quotes, although there are many useful ones. It probably doesn’t count as a quote, but the first that came to my mind is what Kung-fu-tse wrote about half a century B.C:
The illustrious ancients, when they wished to make clear and to propagate the highest virtues in the world, put their states in proper order. Before putting their states in proper order, they regulated their families. Before regulating their families, they cultivated their own selves. Before cultivating their own selves, they perfected their souls. Before perfecting their souls, they tried to be sincere in their thoughts. Before trying to be sincere in their thoughts, they extended to the utmost their knowledge. Such investigation of knowledge lay in the investigation of things, and in seeing them as they really were. When things were thus investigated, knowledge became complete. When knowledge was complete, their thoughts became sincere. When their thoughts were sincere, their souls became perfect. When their souls were perfect, their own selves became cultivated. When their selves were cultivated, their families became regulated. When their families were regulated, their states came to be put into proper order. When their states were in proper order, then the whole world became peaceful and happy.
To me this text is fascinating because it is written such a long time ago, yet it reflects on something we are all struggling with; the betterment of ourselves. It connects the individual level to the collective level in a clever way. It inspires me to always learn, yet knowledge will probably never become complete, and my soul is still far from perfect.
How can our readers follow you online?
Follow me at:
Instagram: @gonzodocs @newtopiafilm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gonzodocs
https://www.facebook.com/audunlamundsen
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/audunlamundsen/
This was great, thank you so much for sharing your story and doing this with us. We wish you continued success!
Filmmakers Making A Social Impact: Why & How Director Audun Amundsen Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.