From Papua New Guinean pidgin, ‘Givim Na Kisim’ translates as the giving and the taking.  This four-part documentary explores the push and pull between gender and violence in Port Moresby, PNG.

I produced this one-hour film for World Vision Pacific development. The film premiered in PNG in September 2010 and was broadcast nationally on Kundu 2, the national television station.

‘Givim Na Kisim’ is an initiative of World Vision’s Ol Meri Igat Namba (OMIN) Project, which focuses on community engagement to raise awareness about gender, violence and HIV/AIDS. The documentary raises some timely questions: What is gender? What is violence? What is the power of human relationships?

The harrowing story of a victim is played against the conflicted reflections of a perpetrator. A Brideprice ceremony is set against a backdrop of daily life in the settlement areas of Port Moresby. A group of youths re-enact scenes of violence, exploring how it is that gender-based violence is so pervasive in their city.

“We have to support each other,” says Dorcas Sevua, a gender-specialist from World Vision. The final message of the documentary is one of unity.

“I’m speaking on behalf of them, those who cannot speak,” says one man in Hohola Number Three. So too, Givim Na Kisim gives voice to the city’s population, demanding change.