As we approach our beautiful spring days of April in the Pacific Northwest, there is an opportunity to see Headhunt Revisited at the CASCADIA International Women’s Film Festival!  The Pickford Film Center in the quaint City of Bellingham is surrounded by all the beauty Washington State has to offer. Snow-capped mountains, waterfront looking towards Bellingham Bay and plenty of fresh scent of flowers blooming.

Our screening will be held on Sunday, April 15th, 1:30 PM at the Pickford Film Center, 1318 Bay Street. I will also conduct a Q&A immediately following the film screening.  You can purchase your tickets here: Headhunt Revisited Screening. Don’t forget to check out the other fabulous films to be shown during the festival!  You’ll find many compelling films to see made by women and for women.

You may be interested to know that traveling to Bellingham can include a detour through the tulip fields! April is the annual Tulip Festival and it’s a sight not to miss.  This could make for a lovely getaway to see all the fantastic scenery in the Pacific Northwest. For our friends just on the other side of the border, it’s easy for you too!

We’ve also had some nice press through the efforts of Ryan Davis of Smarthouse Creative. Thank you, Ryan! Here are the links to some recent articles.

                                                                              Patch

                                                                    Filmed In Seattle

Watch for future announcements regarding the release of the film through Documentary Educational Resources! I have been receiving lots of requests for DVDs, streaming outlets, and possible screenings. All are currently in production stages and we’re excited to get this film out to more of you – our supporters.

We’re thrilled to announce that Headhunt Revisited: With Brush, Canvas and Camera has been selected for the CASCADIA International Women’s Film Festival, which will be held at Pickford Film Center in Bellingham, WA April 12-15, 2018. CASCADIA was founded in 2015 to promote Bellingham, Whatcom County and the Pacific Northwest as a destination for filmmakers and film enthusiasts, to present an annual film festival showcasing exceptional films by women directors, and to provide educational opportunities relating to the viewing, making and distribution of films. CASCADIA’s annual film festival is dedicated to exclusively showcasing the work of women directors.

A 2017 study conducted by the Media, Diversity & Social Change Initiative at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Communications and Journalism School showed that of the 1000 top grossing films from 2007 to 2016, only 4% were directed by women, and that “there was no meaningful change in the prevalence of female directors across the top films from 2007 to 2016.” “The impact of film empowers women, supports local and global ideas and creates opportunities for community members, as well as filmmakers, to participate in the collaboration that is film,” explains CASCADIA’s Executive Director Cheryl Crooks. “CASCADIA is part of a larger movement to allow women’s voices to be heard.”

We’re proud to be one of the films selected to showcase the voices of women, and this year, we’re sharing the festival with Cheryl Boone Isaacs, immediate Past President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS or the Academy). Boone Isaacs will be the Special Honored Guest Speaker at 6:45 p.m. on Friday, April 13, 2018 in the Whatcom Museum’s Rotunda Room in the Old City Hall, 121 Prospect Street, Bellingham, WA. Her address will be free and open to the public with a ticketed Happy Hour Reception to precede at 5:30 p.m. Boone Isaacs is the Academy’s first African-American and third female president of the 90-year organization, having served since being elected in July 2013. She is a film marketing and public relations executive and has represented the public relations branch of the Academy best known for the Academy Awards (The Oscars). As she told ABC News upon announcing in May 2017 that she’d be stepping down as Academy President, the global film community is “one that is becoming more inclusive and diverse with each passing day” and that the 2017 Oscars were “proof that art has no borders, no single language and does not belong to a single faith. The power of art is that it transcends all these things.”

          A Tribute to Stephen Parr

“What made Stephen tick was collecting. He was so skilled at obtaining that kind of stuff because he was relentless. He would literally haunt people until he got what he wanted.” –Robert Chehoski, Stephen’s friend and colleague

Photos, like the ones above from scrapbooks, can be difficult to find. Now imagine trying to locate film footage. Stephen Parr and Oddball Films of San Francisco founded and ran a very important archive of historic footage. I was saddened to hear of his passing last October when I called recently to tell him about the successes we have been having with Headhunt Revisited.
I met him at his archives along with the team in their Mission District facilities when we were on the search and selecting some very rare historic footage for the film. Stephen was passionate about all types of film collections and it was an honor to be allowed to stroll through the racks of canisters. He was quiet but gracious and very happy that a film was being made about a forgotten female artist – who had so much connection to Monterey and San Francisco. A total of 81 seconds was licensed through Oddball Films, which in terms of available content, was significant. RIP, Stephen and may you be conversing with Caroline and Margaret about their amazing journey.

                                  You can read and hear an interview about Stephen by following the link HERE

We hope that wherever you live in the Pacific Northwest, you will be able to join us at the CASCADIA International Women’s Film Festival.  It’s also tulip time in Skagit Valley so nothing could make a more enjoyable weekend than to travel to this beautiful area of Washington State!  More announcements about screening times to come.

Happy New Year! We hope you had a restful and pleasant holiday season, and that you were able to share it with friends and loved ones. We have so much in store for 2018 that we’re excited to share, but we wanted to start the year off with something near and dear to our hearts, and to the heart of Headhunt Revisited. This weekend marks the second Women’s March – a moment in history that makes us really stop and consider the role women have played throughout history, and the important stories that still remain untold. This little glimpse of Caroline’s life is a reminder of just how important it is that we continue to honor the legacy of talented women and ensure their contributions to society are not forgotten.

Caroline and Margaret’s legacy today is one of connection with family and the past. At the very end of 2017, we had the pleasure of sharing Headhunt Revisited with some of Caroline’s living relatives. Carol Stoughton, one of Caroline’s cousins, gathered her family together to view the film over the holidays, and learn a little bit more about Caroline’s life and experiences. It is humbling to hear about all of the ways Headhunt Revisited has given families in the places Caroline and Margaret visited the opportunity to reconnect. We were honored to be able to bring the story of Caroline back to her own family, who took the time to share their impressions of the film with us.

Caroline’s achievements are impressive feats even in the 21st Century, let alone for the time period in which she lived. Fortunately for us, Caroline was an avid writer, and through her books and the letters she wrote to friends and relatives, we’ve been able to learn so much about a truly remarkable woman. With all of her bravery, charisma, and talent, it’s easy to forget the fact that Caroline faced challenges that continue to resonate with women today. In one letter penned by Caroline to her aunt, she touched on an issue that many women still grapple with. Caroline had a low sense of self-esteem, and described herself (not without her trademark sense of humor) as tall and thin with “large feet and orange tresses that hang around most of the time and make me look like a beastly flamboyant poodle”. In addition to being highly critical of her own appearance, Caroline was also highly critical of her art.

It’s shocking to think that someone as talented as Caroline would struggle with the same insecurities that many of us continue to face today. Although she criticized her own appearance and skills, Caroline was a Gibson Girl model and a highly talented artist. She pursued her passions with determination and, in her own words, the “inclination to work like a trench digger”. Despite all of her insecurity, Caroline pushed through to accomplish something very few women did in her day, and did it with compassion, an open mind, and cultural sensitivity.

In light of current events, uncovering Caroline’s letter to her aunt is a timely reminder of the incredible support women can give to one another, and the achievements we can reach together when we work to uplift, celebrate, and support one another. We’re so proud to have the opportunity to celebrate Caroline Mytinger’s work, and we can’t wait to show you what we have in store for 2018!

Like the classic Christmas movie with Jimmy Stewart It’s a Wonderful Life, team Headhunt Revisited can proudly say that we knew it would be OUR year. It’s YOUR year too because all of our supporters who have stayed by our sides can now share the success in the roll-out of the film.

The Headhunt Revisited team is proud to announce the acceptance into FIFO, the International Oceanian Documentary Film Festival in Tahiti! Established in 2004 on a founding idea from Wallès Kotra, at the time regional director of RFO Polynésie, FIFO immediately gained a high level of public interest. It rapidly attracted directors from Oceania and from all over the world, who recognized this event as an opportunity to take a look at the region. The two key elements to its immediate success: authenticity and diversity.

The month of December has a lot to celebrate – in different religious ways, through different forms of expression, and especially with art. Our celebrity artist, Jeffry Feeger, who appears in the documentary film, is one of the most highly regarded and talented members of the contemporary art community in Papua New Guinea.

In November, Jeffry Feeger and other talented creative individuals were proud to gather together in an exhibition in Port Moresby, sponsored by Sogno Restaurant.Jeffry also created a written work of art titled The Spirit Within.   

“Stone age to Phone age, we are in the grip of a massive cultural shock. The foreign commercial world, its products and tools of communication penetrate our once impenetrable geography. Traditional knowledge and balance with nature erode away under the weight of an insatiable capitalist approach to development. […] In the midst of rapid cultural development, we can learn the wisdom inherent in the values of our ancestors and their subtle connection with nature. As caretakers of the land, it has been the abuse of our power that has severed our connection to it and to each other. Only as wise stewards of our land are we poised to reawaken the spirit within.”

Midnight Browsing #1

Jeffry describes this painting in the collection as:  With the popularity of social media in PNG, mobile phones have become the extensions of ourselves. In the middle of the night we end up scrolling through a barrage of social awareness.You can read the entire poem and see more of his portraiture by following the link to Jeffry Feeger Art.

This time next year, for those followers who are avid scuba divers, the MV FeBrina and Walindi Plantation (and yours truly!) will be in the wonderful waters of Kimbe Bay to celebrate the finish and success of the film. It will be scheduled for the first 2 weeks of December and the list of participants is growing. If you want to join us — and the very vessel and crew that we filmed the expedition with — let me know. I will be working in the next few weeks to establish the exact dates and price. There will be a little dollar reward for you and our hosts are identifying some of the proceeds for the project.

As 2017 draws to a close, the team of Headhunt Revisited looks forward to a bright new year, and a new chapter in the journey we share with Caroline Mytinger and Margaret Warner. We’re grateful for the opportunities we’ve had this year to share this story with our supporters — those who have been with us from the beginning, and those we’ve met along the way. We’re excited to bring Headhunt Revisited to new communities and audiences in the new year, but most of all, we’re excited to continue this journey with you! From the bottom of our hearts, we wish you a holiday season filled with joy and love, and a new year of adventure ahead!

Our first 3 film festival screenings took place over the past couple of weeks. They have been filled with joy, especially because of the opportunity to view the film at the large theater space in Los Angeles with surround sound.

LA Femme Film Festival was our U.S. Premiere and was an incredible experience for Headhunt Revisited.

Founder/President, Leslie La Page, directs this amazing 4-day event each year in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles, with her guiding vision for LA Femme Film Festival strongly being “about support and empowerment to those daring enough to put their vision on the line.” Headhunt Revisited and the story of Caroline Mytinger and Margaret Warner’s journey to Melanesia fit perfectly. Caroline and Margaret dared to put their vision on the line by traveling (in the 1920’s!) to the remote islands of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, capturing  the stories of the Melanesian people through art. As director of Headhunt Revisited, it has always been my vision to tell the story of these two brave but forgotten women not only for their artistic talents but their extraordinary courage. As a result, my entire film team was awarded the BEST FOREIGN DOCUMENTARY at the Awards Gala on October 22nd, of which we all can be very proud. There were a lot of smiles on that impressive evening with our master of ceremony, comedian Sandra Valls. I know Caroline and Margaret were smiling too!

After the screening and award gala, we received emails from audience participants that were awards by themselves as to the value of this film.

 And to end the fall festival season, we screened Tuesday evening at the Hawaii International Film Festival.

Kimberlee Bassford, Consulting Producer, was in attendance to represent the film. After speaking with her yesterday, she indicated that the film was well received by a nice number of viewers. A short period after the film for Q&A generated some thoughtful questions about the film, the paintings, and and future locations for film showings.

With all the positive response, we are now constructing our guidelines for community screenings. Requests are already coming in, so if your city and friends have would like to spend an evening of exploration through Headhunt Revisited, contact me at michele@westmorlandimages.com.

In addition, there are those who think that when a film is completed, it is financially paid for. Independent filmmakers like myself still have past, present, and future costs to bring this film to audiences around the globe.  So please DONATE today!

We are extremely proud to announce the inclusion of our documentary film about Caroline Mytinger and Margaret Warner, who dared to be different and travel to Melanesia to “capture” portraits from coastal Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, into the Hawaii International Film Festival!!!

The dates for the festival runs from November 2 – 12, 2017 in Honolulu.  The screening of Headhunt Revisited: With Brush, Canvas and Camera will be November 7th, 5:30 PM at the Dole Cannery D.  If you live in Oahu or are traveling to the island, we hope you will join us.  Purchase your ticket today by going to This Link.  

This weekend is LA Femme Film Festival with our premiere on Saturday evening. Tickets are available through www.lafemme.org/tickets/
We would love to see as many friends from the Los Angeles Area come to see the film and celebrate the U.S. Premiere.

And don’t forget, if you live in the Pacific Northwest, our Northwest Premiere at the Friday Harbor Film Festival. Those dates are from November 3 – 5, 2017. Headhunt Revisited will be screened on Friday, Nov 3rd and Saturday, Nov 4th, at 1:00PM at the Brickworks. You can see the entire schedule here and purchase tickets here.

Film festivals are only one way to see this film.  Our team is looking for locations and people interested in holding community screenings.  What better than to have a film shown at your local theater, school or public venue to celebrate these forgotten women in history and art that spans oceans and decades? Please contact us for more information on how you can be instrumental in getting this film out to a broader audience.  

Fall is here, the air is crisp and the leaves are just beginning to turn vibrant!  The entire team also feels refreshed and thrilled to announce that Headhunt Revisited will screen at two film festivals in October and November. Receiving the phone calls from festival organizers giving the good news was exhilarating.

We’ll start with LA Femme Film Festival, headquartered in Beverly Hills and the festival venue in downtown Los Angeles, as our US Premiere! LA Femme International Film Festival is a notable festival that provides a platform for female filmmakers to share their films with a varied audience. This includes stories of powerful women in history like Caroline and Margaret! From their mission statement, “LA Femme Film Festival is more than a festival –  it is an emergence of artistic, professional women who can make a difference in the entertainment community by creating productions that speak to a worldwide audience.” With the festival date fast approaching on October 19th-22nd, there are lots of details to finish up.

For friends and supporters in the Los Angeles area, you can purchase a variety of film ticket packages by going to this link:  LA Femme Tickets

You can also purchase single tickets to see Headhunt Revisited. The screening date is October 21st, 6 – 8:00 PM at the Regal Theater Stadium 14 in downtown Los Angeles, located at the LA Staples Center, 1000 W. Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90015.

After Los Angeles, we fly back to Seattle for our Pacific Northwest Premiere at the Friday Harbor Film Festival.  We certainly could not ask for a more beautiful location than in our own backyard on San Juan Island. It’s sure to be a fabulous weekend with film friends from November 3 – 5, 2017.

Headhunt Revisited will be screened on Friday, Nov 3rd and Saturday, Nov 4th, at 1:00PM at the Brickworks. You can see the entire schedule here and purchase tickets here.
Friday Harbor Film Festival aims to:

Entertain audiences through the art of compelling storytelling;
Inspire audience members, as well as filmmakers to be a force for positive change;
Enlighten all participants by conveying relevant information, creating awareness and expanding appreciation of our fragile planet, diverse cultures and those daring to explore new frontiers;
Encourage students to participate in the Young Filmmakers Project to learn the art of storytelling through film.

Come join us at either one of these wonderful film festivals and help us celebrate like Caroline and Margaret would. We hope to see you there!

Necessity is the mother of invention. And Melanesia is perhaps one of the greatest testaments to what innovations can grow out of necessity! Taking a book from that proverbial page, we recently made the decision to upload our film trailer directly to Facebook, and the results were incredibly exciting. This new strategy captured the attention of many new viewers who expressed their excitement and support for importance of this story, and shared the trailer with their friends.

• Reached 29,812 people
• Viewed over 10,000 times
• Shared 164 times
• Received over 180 responses and comments
• Garnered numerous personal messages and testimonials

Check out our Facebook page and “like” it if you have not already joined the many followers.

Testimonials Continue to Pour In!

Wilson Onea, Deputy Director – Financial Analysis & Supervision Unit (FASU) at Bank of Papua New Guinea made this poignant statement and it is a reminder as to why this film is so important for others around the world to see.  It is, of course, how the connection to our past and our history is so vitally important.

“A truly fascinating adventure through the eyes of my grandmother. The documentary itself resonantes of the early 1900’s melodramas in the south seas of the Pacific. A great slice of PNG’s little known history. A gripping  documentary that ultimately delivers  a satisfactory contemporary context. A copy worth keeping.”

Paul Barker, Executive Director, Institute of National Affairs Papua New Guinea

“Very moving; wonderful blending of the past with real people then, as portrayed in Caroline’s painting, writings and the fine footage shown, but then bridging between them and the present and the people, including descendents in different corners of Papua New Guinea and Solomon islands, whom you tracked down and featured…. Of course her paintings defy time; they’re so vivid, colourful, warm and of course unique, and provide an invaluable link with the past in PNG, but also the past and diverse cultures and ways of life for all humanity.”

Our Press Kit is complete and our designer is adding the final touches to a wonderful new postcard. Downloading our public press material is easy, and full of helpful resources for those interested in planning a screening in your community – or simply learning more about the film. Just follow this link, Headhunt Press Material, to receive the trailer, press kit, poster and a ringtone for your phone! Both iPhone and Android are available.

It was May 11th, one day after my arrival into Port Moresby. My body was still trying to make the 17 hour leap to catch up to the bright Papuan sun, while my nerves were already far ahead of me, firing on all levels.  How would the film look on the big screen? How would it be viewed by the very people it is about? And how could I end the cycle of sleepless nights?  With barely enough rest to make up for the 30 plus hours of travel, I was called to the theater to approve the projection.  I’d only seen it on my computer or home television and was not sure of both picture and sound – especially in a theater environment.  But amid any uncertainty was the thrill of good news. Paradise Cinema was moving us to a larger seating capacity because so many people RSVP’d to attend the very first private screening.  Then there was the after-party scheduled at the Crystal Lounge.  The US Ambassador and her staff were coming, as were some of PNG’s most influential politicians and cultural leaders. How would I survive the evening?

Jeffry Feeger, Michele Westmorland and Lynne Ainsworth with Jeffry’s impressive creation “Through Siaka’s Eyes” auctioned at the After-Party event at Crystal Lounge

The completion and addition of the new trailer for the film is now on our website and you are the first to see it!  Thank you, Sandy Jeglum, Chris Julian and Icarus Music for the work to make an inspirational and compelling trailer.  Go to Project Page to watch.

I am pleased to tell you that the warm thrill of a rave will penetrate even the most jetlagged anxieties. Launching the completed film with a private premiere in Port Moresby was the most gratifying return on years of effort. To sit amidst an audience in Papua New Guinea, and to hear and feel the warmth and approval, is everything I have hoped for through this long journey.  Although there have many wonderful testimonials and responses, below are a two that I will share.  There will be more to come through social media!

Catherine Ebert-Gray, U.S. Ambassador to PNG and the Solomon Islands

“Headhunt Revisited is a brilliant retelling of the adventures of American portrait artist, Caroline Mytinger, and her friend, Margaret Warner, who traveled to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands to capture portraits of the indigenous peoples. This extraordinary story, which took place in the 1920’s, is another example of how women’s courage, talent, and contributions to history have too often been lost – until someone like Michele Westmorland comes along with the vision and determination to uncover and tell their stories to the world.

Watching Westmorland bring Mytinger and Warner’s journey to life and recreate their travels in modern Melanesia is to relive the joy, danger, difficulty, and sadness of the experience.  As she brings history to life for the descendants of those captured in Mytinger’s moving portraits, many of them who remember the visit through family folklore, she offers viewers an opportunity to peer into a mostly unknown world both past and present.”

Comments from the Audience:

• “I sat in awe as the story cleverly unfolded – tears of appreciation actually came to my eyes and a lump was in my throat when I expressed my admiration of the documentary to my neighbour in the packed theatre. Michele’s camera lens was not distorted by a foreign Western lens as she followed the epic journey from Caroline Mytinger’s portrait painting expedition of the late 1920s to locate the descendants of her portrait subjects. She does not tell their story but honors and respects them as they tell their story.”
• “Caroline painted portraits through Melanesia and how fortunate and exciting for us who love our Melanesia that there is some history in ‘colour’ through Caroline Mytinger’s paintings.”
• “I have read a little more about Caroline since the Premiere last night, and what I appreciate most, and what was conveyed in your film, is her respect for the cultures she was capturing on film and canvas. She was a woman far ahead of her time, and her courage and authenticity, her unstoppable determination to stay true to herself, is a source of inspiration to me. You embody those same traits, Michele, I think you and Caroline would have been firm friends!”          

The accolades for the film did not stop at the end of the evening.  Invited as a guest along with artist Jeffry Feeger and Rae Smart, Co-Producer Australia, we spoke in an interview with host, Douglas Dimagi, of Talkback Show/FM 100 Radio.                                                                                        

Emmanuel Narokobi, Director of Photography – PNG,  and I also appeared on EMTV’s program, Point of View with host Tania Nugent, and commentators Philma Kelegai and Cleopatra Kolta.  The 48 minute program is available through this link EMTV And do leave your comments at the end! It would be wonderful to have as many people, especially those fans in North America, to support this valuable programming in Papua New Guinea.

Next Steps

The glow of a warm reception on home turf will linger, but there is still much work to be done. Our next crucial task is to invest in getting the film in front of audiences. This means a costly and uncertain period of applying to enter the film festival circuit. Waiting patiently for answers from numerous festivals is not one of my strengths. The entire team is anxious. And because the festival circuit is subjective, one never knows what a festival’s panel will choose. Headhunt Revisited has the distinction of being an untold story of a female American hero. But in the trend toward social justice films, we can only wait to see how a very different sort of story will be received.

Our very own and talented animator, Mahima Tuladhar is designing the Press Kit for any and all distribution requirements. And we will soon invest in targeted Public Relations and Impact strategies to broaden the film’s reach to international audiences. Final tweaks are being done before we can master the film to DVD/BluRay.  If you are inspired to support our final efforts to launch the film, we do have a short window of opportunity to add significant donor/sponsor names to the credit roll.  Please contact me for more information on how to make this happen at michele@westmorlandimages.com or visit the Sponsor-Donate page on this website!

As I pack a variety of equipment and clothing for my 34th trip to Papua New Guinea, my excitement is building. So are a few anxious moments as I think about the “Private VIP Screening” of the finished film to leaders of the community in Port Moresby, who have become my friends through this shared journey. The U.S. Ambassador, Catherine Ebert-Gray and the Embassy staff will be special guests, joining me as fellow Americans who share the deepest respect and admiration for the diverse, ancient cultures of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.

Respect is a prominent virtue in Melanesian society. Respect for tradition. Respect for elders. Respect for family and lineage. Respect for the earth and those who will inherit it after us. The paintings and sketches that Caroline left behind speak of her respect for her subjects – portraits of indigenous people on their own terms, highlighting their skill and beauty, often placing them in the context of their homes or trades. Like Caroline, my decades of travels through Papua New Guinea have nurtured the deepest of respect for the peoples and traditions of PNG. That is why I feel both compelled and privileged to launch Headhunt Revisited: With Brush, Canvas, & Camera with a private screening for the people whose history inspired this film.

In addition to seeing the film on the big screen for the first time, an After Party celebration will feature the work of contemporary Papuan artist Jeffry Feeger. Jeffry’s stunning self-portrait “Through Siaka’s Eyes” will be available for auction. As a popular contemporary artist well known throughout PNG and Australia, Jeffry’s work brings Caroline’s legacy full circle.

Can you believe the wonderful creation of the painting? The photo to the left is of Jeffry actually completing the painting and the other is the finished masterpiece!  We have so many people to thank who are sponsors for the big event: Bank South Pacific, Crown Plaza Hotel, Paradise Cinema, PNG Airlines, Cosmopolitan Club, Masalai Communications, Media Partners and Mary Elzs OrchidInBloom

Our voice of Caroline in the film is model/actress Lauren Hutton. In the past few weeks, Lauren has championed the use of mature models in significant advertising. Calvin Klein has Lauren included in the very tasteful ad proving age has no limits! Check one of the many articles on line HERE.

Watch our Facebook page for updates on media coverage for the screening in Port Moresby!

Share this blog with friends! We need your help to raise the balance of funding to bring this story to the big screen!  Any amount is greatly appreciated. Just click here to make your charitable contribution.