Developing filmmaking in the Solomon Islands

The team behind the short film Sky Aelans 2021 at Lee’s Lake, Central Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, 2019 / Image courtesy: Regina Lepping / View full image
In recent decades, the Solomon Islands has faced internal challenges, including ethnic tensions and civil unrest. These events underscored a nation grappling with societal cohesion and a need for platforms to express collective identity.
Against this backdrop, art, including filmmaking, has emerged not only as a creative outlet, but as a powerful medium for cultural preservation and healing. But in a country where there is no film school or film industry — or even any cinemas — what is the future of filmmaking in the Solomon Islands?
Regina Lepping explores the Solomon Islands' emerging filmmaking industry on the Asia Pacific Art Papers: Contemporary Contexts, Practices, Ideas website. Read the full essay.