Betelnut Bisnis

Directed by Chris Owen Produced by Andrew Pike

The betelnut has been a socially accepted narcotic in coastal Papua New Guinea since ancestral times but in the Highlands, where a majority of the population lives, it is a recent arrival. Many Highlanders depend on the betelnut (or buai as it is called locally), not only because of their addiction to it, but because many families earn their livelihood trading small quantities of the drug.

This film follows the fortunes of one family, Lukus Kalma and his wife Kopu, as told by their neighbor, Chris Owen, an Australian expatriate and documentary filmmaker (Man Without Pigs, Bridewealth for a Goddess). Lukus owns no land and lives on a small plot with soil too poor to grow food. He works part-time as a watchman and laborer but cannot make ends meet. He embarks upon a business venture of buying betelnuts from growers on the coast and reselling them at home. In following his trials and tribulation to make a success of his business, the film presents an insider¹s look at the day-to-day life in Papua New Guinea whose people have few material possessions but face each day with dignity and determination.

Economic times are difficult for the majority of Papua New Guineans. Their currency has been devalued so anything they cannot produce themselves is very expensive. Basic necessities are difficult to come by; even water is in short supply. Access to medical attention is minimal and basic education involves school fees. While some turn to crime, most of the "grassroots" people struggle on, hoping to earn a few dollars for a tin of meat, a bag of rice and some betelnuts to keep going.

52 min. Video or DVD. Sale $295. Video rental $85.

Taiwan International Ethnographic Film Festival, 2005
Pusan International Film Festival, Korea, 2005
Best Documentary, ACT Film Awards, 2004
Bilan du Film Ethnographic, Paris, 2005