After an amazing day I was really blown away to see and meet some amazing people. There is something humbling about meeting people who work as hard and are as dedicated as the staff of the Commonwealth War Memorial Hospital. The difference they make to the lives of Fijians is fantastic. Dr. Samesa Matanicake Junior, is one of those rare people who give more than most. His efforts have made a huge difference to his patients but also for the hospital, Suva and Fiji. The word dedicated doesn’t even come close to describing him. Since he started the Interplast mentoring program over 5 years ago he hasn’t had a holiday. His passion for his work, and the people he serves is second to none.

A LITTLE ABOUT INTERPLAST

Interplast sends teams of volunteer plastic and reconstructive surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses and allied health professionals to provide life-changing surgery and medical training in 17 countries across the Asia Pacific region.

We do this in partnership with local organisations, including hospitals, universities and local NGOs. Our mission is to ‘repair bodies and rebuild lives’ and we do this through providing surgical services to those who could not otherwise afford or access these, and by building the capacity of local medical systems through our training and mentoring programs.

Interplast is a fully accredited NGO with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), registered by the Australian Charities and Not For Profit Commission and is a signatory to the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) Code of Conduct.

As part of sharing the interplast story it’s important to get a feel for what the team does and how it really makes a difference to people and communities they are invited into. Capturing these stories is key to this documentary. So with my boots on the ground and camera in hand, I had the pleasure of interviewing and filming some life changing treatments.

OUR DOCUMENTARY - What we’re trying to do.

I’m not a doctor that’s for sure, but I can help. Telling these engaging stories is powerful way of communicating with those who really want to make a tangible difference. That’s where I can add some value as a documentary maker. Telling stories for those who aren’t able to tell their own can really create impact for Interplast, and ultimately help them reach more children and people in need of their services. We are aiming to produce a 1 hour documentary following the journey of a surgical team and a patient and their family. SBS Australia has a great opportunity for community stories to be broadcast. This is a fantastic vehicle to reach as many people as possible. We’ll also create a bunch of promotional videos for social media and website use.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with this project, and more importantly share our story with friends and family.

OUR SPONSORS

This project wouldn’t be possible without the help of our sponsors!

Canon Professional Services and Tom Duncan have been amazing in providing a Canon C200 and lens package to capture the beautiful imagery and interviews. I have really enjoyed using it with this first stage of filming in Suva.

Rothbury Insurance and Ashley Hodges stepped up and created a wonderful package for covering the gear that I took with me on this trip. It certainly gave me a bit of relief to know that I’d have some protection if something went wrong.

SolidPod also helped out by providing it’s MSata unit to record and capture the footage on a very reliable and rugged unit that takes MSata SDD card. For any cinematographers shooting on a CFast card camera this is a fantastic solution that saves on the $$$ and works a treat.