A film directed by Thomas Balmès (Director, Author, Director of Photography, Co-producer)

« First, we got the Catolics. Then, the Seventh Day Adventists. Ten… I can´t remember. Oh, Yes, the Evangelical Church of Papua. I´m not sure whether the Adventists were here before or after. After the Adventists, it stopped for a while. By the way, which church do we belong to? Are we apostolic or what? I don´t know anymore. » Ghini

With gentle irony, this film records the overlay of Christianity on native beliefs
that occurs in the Huli tribe, one of seven hundred tribes living in Papua New
Guinea. In many areas of the world where Christian missionaries have brought
their message, similar confusions and misconceptions abound.
Recently, two rival groups of missionaries appeared in Papua, one Catholic and
the other Seventh Day Adventists, creating competition for conversions. In past
years, other Christian churches like the Lutherans, Methodists and Apostolics had
tried to convert the tribe, with varying degrees of success. When chief Ghini
agrees to be baptized a Catholic after being bribed with a shirt and tie, a large
proportion of the Hulis follow. But first there were heated debates comparing
their ancient spiritual beliefs with the tenets of Catholicism. One man argues,
« Missionaries only came here to stop our traditions … they couldn’t show me God
or bring him to me. »
Chief Ghini organizes the sacrificial slaughter of a pig, which is divided up among
the soon-to-be baptized. The film builds to a great baptismal ceremony,
revealing the divisions among the tribe created by competing missionaries.

Awards
Best ethnographic film’s Jerusalem Religion Today 2000, Silver Spire
Award’s San Francisco Film festival 2000, Prix international de la
Francophonie at Genève Rencontres Media Nord-Sud, Mention spéciale at
Bilan du film ethnographique 2000 de Paris, Silver Wolf Nomination’s IDFA,
Don Quichotte Prize’s Cracow International Documentary film festival 2000,
Audience award’s Praha International Human Rights Film Festival 2000,
Grand prix’s ethnographic documentary Telluride Film Festival 2000
(Colorado), Grand prix Religion today Festival 2000 (Ravennes)

Festivals
Tel-Aviv international documentary film festival (opening), Venice Film
Festival, FIPA, Biarritz, Stockholm Tempo Documentary Festival, Hot Docs
Canadian International Documentary Festival, Edimburgh Sharing stories,
Taiwan international documentary film festival, Cinéma du réel.

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