I connect this camera lens to a project which is very dear to my heart: “Power of the Lens”. In that action-research-creation project, we worked across six different Indigenous territories–Sápmi, in Wallmapu (Chile), in Panama, and in Turtle Island (Canada). We used community filmmaking as a tool for Indigenous research addressing, reflecting on and analyzing the shared concern of territory, by undertaking video-mediated research with community researcher-filmmakers.

I found this project very inspiring and rewarding, because Indigenous community filmmaker-researchers, youth audiovisual creators and non-Indigenous researchers, like myself, came together and worked together. Through our  collaboration, we actively listened, respected, and valued our differences, and we embraced diverse perspectives. That fostered a profound mutual learning experience.

The project went on for several years and people were highly engaged and had a strong dedication to work together. This is something that I associate with co-creation: you need openness, you need patience and persistence, and you really need a sincere commitment to collaborate together for it to succeed.