Project Detail

Tawai

Synopsis

Tawai is the word the nomadic hunter-gatherers of Borneo use to describe their inner feeling of connection to nature. In this dreamy, philosophical and sociological look at life, explorer Bruce Parry travels the world to learn from peoples living lives very differently to our own.
From the jungles of Malaysia to the the tributaries of the Amazon, TAWAI is the result of a four-year exploration to find a deeper understanding of indigenous peoples and how their way of life can benefit those in the industrialised world - providing a powerful voice that must be heard before it is completely lost.

Details

Year
2017
Type of project
Features
Running time
97 mins
Format
RED
Director
Bruce Parry 1st Feature
Producer
Adam Bohling, David Reid, Uri Fruchtmann, Bruce Parry, Giancarlo Canavessio
Co-Producer
Sean Scott Griffin
Editor
Veronique Cabois
Screenwriter
Tamara Colchester, Jeronimo Mazarrasa, Bruce Parry, Rory Spowers, Christopher Seward
Director of Photography
Mark Ellam
Sound
Richard Kondal, Pablo Villegas, Daniel Hewitt, Zubin Sarosh
Composer
Nick Barber
Principal cast
Bruce Parry, Iain McGilchrist, Jerome Lewis, Ingrid Lewis,

Categories

Production Status

Production Company

Quest Unlimited Ltd

Sean Scott Griffin

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

A woman smiles during an interview Folk to Folk

Director: Saoirse Crean

Year: 2026

Led by renowned vocal coach Jennifer John, Folk to Folk follows a group of women in Liverpool who use traditional folk songs to build unexpected connections across cultures. As they learn and sing in Gaelic, Romansh, Boro and other languages, the sessions uncover shared themes that unite us. The songs rise like ghosts from the past, stirring memories, laughter and tears, and opening a safe space for the women to reflect together. “This project proves that music is a universal language. It allows us to feel, to be emotional, and when we do that together… that’s where the power lies” - Jennifer John

People drinking and socialising in a pub The Local

Director: Kim Hopkins

Year:

In an inner-city pub in Northern England, the lives of its regulars unfold through politics, love, loss and song, as a community holds on with quiet dignity in a world growing more divided and uncertain.

Main character from The Things We Don't Say lying on the ground, looking contemplative The Things We Don't Say

Director: Ornella Mutoni

Year: 2024

A group of young adults born during or just after the 1994 genocide against Rwanda's Tutsi people gather to find the courage to break a powerful taboo. Rwanda is one of the few nations in the world providing specialist counselling for children conceived through rape, who number 10,000 across the country. Here, course leader Emilienne, a mother, therapist and genocide survivor, helps the group to imagine a future free from family secrets and societal stigma. In a circle of supportive peers, they tell their individual stories and face their struggles together, in the hope their participation will advocate for others facing similar trauma. Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2024 NY African Film Festival 2025