Though she now lives in Venice, California, filmmaker Olivia Wyatt is a Little Rock native who returns frequently to visit family and friends. Looking for a career based in creativity, Wyatt attended University of Missouri and obtained her degree in photojournalism.
And the 33 year old has quite the travel resume. She has been to Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, Ethiopia, London, Alaska, Thailand, Mexico, Nepal, France, Canada and Myanmar.
Although she specializes in photography and videography, she is working not to forget her writing roots. She says that most of her life she wanted to be a writer, and her New Year’s resolution this year is to write for at least one hour every day.
Did you always know you wanted to be a filmmaker?
I always wanted do something creative. Most of my life I wanted to be a writer. I even started at the university aiming for a degree in print journalism, but then I found the beauty of a camera and I haven’t put it down since.
When did your interest really take off?
I really got interested in making films when I was working as a multimedia producer for Magnum Photos (Magnum in Motion) in New York. I was taking still imagery, pairing it with audio, and making it move across the screen. That is when I traded in my still camera for a video camera.
You’re also a photographer — how do the two complement each other?
I was a photographer first and foremost. I tend to compose frames in my films as though they were still images. I also love to shoot video portraits, where I have a person just staring straight into the camera. People often ask if I was trained as a still photographer because of the way in which I shoot.
Tell me more about your films, especially “Sailing a Sinking Sea.”
“Sailing A Sinking Sea” is a feature-length experiential documentary exploring the culture of the Moken people of Burma and Thailand. The Moken are a seafaring community and one of the smallest ethnic minority groups in Asia, traditionally spending eight months out of the year in thatch-roofed wooden boats. Wholly reliant upon the sea, their entire belief system revolves around water. “Sailing A Sinking Sea” weaves a visual and aural tapestry of Moken mythologies and present-day practices. As a viewer you will swim under the sea past fishes and mermaids, sail boats across turquoise waters, land on 13 different islands, step inside sea shanties on stilts, delve into the minds of shamans, become possessed through the worship of sea gods, dance between lovers and emerge drenched in Moken mythology.
I have two other features, “Staring into the Sun” which documents 13 tribes in Ethiopia and captures everything from spirit possession ceremonies to weddings and daily life, and “The Pierced Heart & The Machete” which was shot in Haiti and captures two religious pilgrimages for a male and female deity who are married in the Vodou pantheon.
Tell us about the film festivals you’ve been accepted into.
My favorite screening of “Sailing A Sinking Sea” was in New York at the Museum of Natural History as part of the Margaret Mead Film Festival. There were 350 people in the audience and they sat beneath the giant blue whale in the Hall of Ocean Life. It was so magical!
The film premiered at SXSW and has also played at Hot Docs in Toronto, Maryland Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, Camden International Film Festival, Denver Film Festival, Jerusalem Anthropological Film Festival, Cucalorus Film Festival, Environmental Film Festival Australia and the Singapore International Film Festival.
What is a typical day like for you? How often do you travel?
I travel all of the time. At the moment I see the interior of airplanes more than my own home. On top of these film festivals, I also produce a TV show for Vice. Last month I was 26 miles above the Arctic Circle in Alaska for work, I flew back to LA for a day and the next day I was on a plane to London for the BFI London Film Festival. From London I went to the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival in Arkansas, then next to New York for the screening at the Natural History Museum and then back to LA to start shooting another episode for the TV show.
Tell us one thing about yourself that people wouldn’t expect.
I played gong, flute and bass xylophone in a Balinese Gamelan orchestra, and we performed once at the MOMA in New York. I also studied Haitian Vodou drumming for four years. Oh, and I am terrified of guns and elevators.
Is there a particular item you always have with you?
A Kaleidoscope or a similar object that allows the world to become distorted.
In addition to making films, what are your hobbies?
Sailing. There is nothing more that I love on this earth than sailing. I also like to surf and hike.
Which books/magazines are on your nightstand, or in your suitcase?
Currently, the latest edition of Harper’s Magazine and the book “Kon-Tiki.”
Is there a song you listen to, or something you read, to get motivated?
I love to read “Be Here Now” by Ram Dass for inspiration. Lately, during moments of relaxation and contemplation, I have been listening to Townes Van Zandt and if I want to dance around and move my body, my go to is William Onyeabor.
Do you have a lucky charm?
I always wear or carry with me a piece of amethyst for luck, protection, and sweet dreams.
What is your No. 1 organization tool?
Honestly, I use the Notes app on my iPhone all of the time and during the six months that I purposely had a flip phone last year, I just carried around a little notebook.
If you had endless time and resources, what would you do?
I would sail around the world and look at the effects of climate change through the anthropological lens of the communities who touch the sea daily. That is the next film that I am currently raising funds for. It is called “Jasmine on Jupiter” and is a multimedia adventure.
What brings you the greatest joy?
Watching the sunset over the sea.
Where are some of the coolest places you’ve visited?
Every place I have been to is cool! Jamaica, Ecuador, Cuba, Haiti, Ethiopia, London, Thailand, Mexico, Nepal, France, Singapore, Canada and Myanmar.
How can readers view your films?
“Staring into the Sun” and “The Pierced Heart & The Machete” both came out on Sublime Frequencies and can be purchased here.
“Staring into the Sun” is a book which includes 136 Polaroid images I captured, a CD of field recordings and the DVD. “Sailing A Sinking Sea” can be pre-ordered here.
Later this spring, Drag City will also be releasing a vinyl LP of the film’s score which will include a DVD of “Sailing A Sinking Sea.”
(Back to 7 People You Have To Meet in 2016.)