Levita
Funding: One World Media
Services: Idea development, pre-production, production and post-production
“Inside of me, I can’t be shy, I’m just not shy. There’s been time I’ve been made fun of, because I am a showoff…I like to be watched by people, I enjoy being the center of attention when I perform”
Levita Levi, leader of the Binabinaine community in Kiribati
Financed by One World Media Fellowship award, Levita was filmed in the remote island of Kiribati (Central Pacific). The film follows the larger-than-life Levita Levi, the lead figure of the ‘Binabinaine community’. Uncovering Levita’s world, the film chronicles her obsession with dance as she and her fellow Binabinaines perform their unique brand of Polynesian dancing to audiences on the island.
Her journey, in turn, sketches a vivid picture of Kiribati that offers a unique window into Levita’s colourful world and her encounters with her fellow I- Kiribati islanders. Through an unblinking look at her life, we see the many roles she inhabits, sometimes a humble domestic caterer, at other moments a gifted choreographer and dancer, or equally a flamboyant beauty pageant coach.
‘Levita’ is an intimate portrait of a remote community, a world in which dance, sisterhood and desire become an affirmation of acceptance and exuberance.
Credits:
Crew:
Director/Editor:
Victoria Burns
DOP:
Giulietta Verdon - Roe
Contributors:
Levita, Levi