Betelnut bisnis / directed by Chris Owen and produced by Andrew Pike.

Format:

Video

Author/Creator:

Owen, Chris, director, author.

Contributor:

Pike, Andrew.

Alexander Street Press.

Series:

Global business and economics in video

Filmakers library online

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Betel nut--Papua New Guinea.

Betel nut.

Papua New Guinea--Economic conditions.

Papua New Guinea.

Papua New Guinea--Social conditions.

Papua New Guinea--Social life and customs.

Genre:

Documentary films.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (52 minutes).

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Filmakers Library, 2006.

Language Note:

This edition in English and Tok Pisin with English subtitles.

System Details:

digital

data file

Summary:

The betelnut has been a socially accepted narcotic in coastal Papua New Guinea since ancestral times but in the Highlands, where a majority of the population lives, it is a recent arrival. Many Highlanders depend on the betelnut (or buai as it is called locally), not only because of their addiction to it, but because many families earn their livelihood trading small quantities of the drug. This film follows the fortunes of one family, Lukus Kalma and his wife Kopu, as told by their neighbor, Chris Owen, an Australian expatriate and documentary filmmaker (Man Without Pigs, Bridewealth for a Goddess). Lukus owns no land and lives on a small plot with soil too poor to grow food. He works part-time as a watchman and laborer but cannot make ends meet. He embarks upon a business venture of buying betelnuts from growers on the coast and reselling them at home. In following his trials and tribulation to make a success of his business, the film presents an insider's look at the day-to-day life in Papua New Guinea whose people have few material possessions but face each day with dignity and determination. Economic times are difficult for the majority of Papua New Guineans. Their currency has been devalued so anything they cannot produce themselves is very expensive. Basic necessities are difficult to come by; even water is in short supply. Access to medical attention is minimal and basic education involves school fees. While some turn to crime, most of the "grassroots" people struggle on, hoping to earn a few dollars for a tin of meat, a bag of rice and some betelnuts to keep going.

Notes:

Title from resource description page (viewed May 24, 2011).

Best Documentary, ACT Film Awards, 2004

Bilan du Film Ethnographic, Paris, 2005

Pusan International Film Festival, Korea, 2005

Taiwan International Ethnographic Film Festival, 2005

ISBN:

9781503407145

OCLC:

852993846

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.