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The opening of A New Kind of Wilderness is narrated by Maria Vatne. Maria is the mother of a family in Norway living outside of civilization. As she tells the story of her family you quickly draw the assumption that this is a documentary on living away from the hustle and bustle of society. Growing your own food, staying away from technology, and homeschooling your children. However, you are quickly shown still photos of Maria fighting cancer at home followed by pictures of her family without her.
A New Kind of Wilderness directed by Silje Evensmo Jacobsen delves more into the Payne family’s journey after a tragic loss to keep their way of life but also adapt to their current situation.
Maria was the main support financially for her family with the sale of her photography. Losing this source of income forces Nik to make the hard decision to sell the family farm. Nik and Maria had 4 children Ronja (from her previous relationship) Freja, Ulv and Falk. Ronja goes to live with her father shortly after her mother’s death. Nik is left with the daunting task of trying to homeschool 3 children, while providing a source of income for his family. He makes the decision to move closer into town. While Maria and Nik wanted to homeschool their children throughout their education, Nik quickly realizes he must send them to school at least 3 days a week so that he can work.
A New Kind of Wilderness showcases Nik’s struggle trying to maintain their way of life while also facing the reality of his situation. He doubts himself much more than he did when his wife was alive. He even grappled with the thought of moving the children back to the UK (Nik was raised there) so that he would have more access to childcare and better job opportunities.
In addition to Nik’s struggles a large part of the documentary is told through the eyes of Freja, Nik and Maria’s oldest. Maria’s death effects Freja the most out of Nik’s three children. You really see the stress she has worrying about her father, how they will live, and having to go to a regular school (to which she referred to as prison early in the film).
Her relationship with Ronja is also a source of stress as the two seemed to drift further apart. The documentary does a great job focusing on this relationship as it is the most complicated relationship of the film. Ronja also a child albeit a teenager deals with her mother’s death by pulling away from her family. Being around the other children reminds her too much of her mother. She is not oblivious to the fact that her sister Freja needs her, and you see her try to navigate being there for her sister while taking care of her own mental health.
A New Kind of Wilderness was an enjoyable documentary about the importance of family support. A heartwarming story that will make you fall in love with the Payne family. And while I don’t believe this was the story Jacobsen set out to make in the beginning, it came together in a heartfelt way.
- DIRECTOR(S)SILJE EVENSMO JACOBSEN
- PRODUCERMARI BAKKE RIISE
- EXECUTIVE PRODUCERKIM CHRISTIANSEN
- CINEMATOGRAPHYSILJE EVENSMO JACOBSENKARINE FOSSERLINE K. LYNGSTADAAS
- EDITORSKRISTIAN TVEITCHRISTOFFER HEIE
- COMPOSEROLAV ØYEHAUG
- SOUND DESIGNERYNGVE LEIDULV SÆTRE
- COLORISTTOM CHR. LILLETVEDT
- FEATURINGULV VATNE PAYNEFALK VATNE PAYNEFREJA VATNE PAYNERONJA BREDA VATNEMARIA GROS VATNENIKOLAUS ITHELL PAYNE
- PRODUCTION COMPANYA5 FILM
- YEAR2024
- CATEGORYFEATURE
- COUNTRYNORWAY
- LANGUAGEENGLISH, NORWEGIAN
- RUN TIME84 MIN
The post A New Kind of Wilderness: A Touching Documentary about Moving Forward After Loss appeared first on The Nerd Element.
The opening of A New Kind of Wilderness is narrated by Maria Vatne. Maria is the mother of a family in Norway living outside of civilization. As she tells the story of her family you quickly draw the assumption that this is a documentary on living away from the hustle and bustle of society. Growing your own food, staying away from technology, and homeschooling your children. However, you are quickly shown still photos of Maria fighting cancer at home followed by pictures of her family without her.
A New Kind of Wilderness directed by Silje Evensmo Jacobsen delves more into the Payne family’s journey after a tragic loss to keep their way of life but also adapt to their current situation.
Maria was the main support financially for her family with the sale of her photography. Losing this source of income forces Nik to make the hard decision to sell the family farm. Nik and Maria had 4 children Ronja (from her previous relationship) Freja, Ulv and Falk. Ronja goes to live with her father shortly after her mother’s death. Nik is left with the daunting task of trying to homeschool 3 children, while providing a source of income for his family. He makes the decision to move closer into town. While Maria and Nik wanted to homeschool their children throughout their education, Nik quickly realizes he must send them to school at least 3 days a week so that he can work.
A New Kind of Wilderness showcases Nik’s struggle trying to maintain their way of life while also facing the reality of his situation. He doubts himself much more than he did when his wife was alive. He even grappled with the thought of moving the children back to the UK (Nik was raised there) so that he would have more access to childcare and better job opportunities.
In addition to Nik’s struggles a large part of the documentary is told through the eyes of Freja, Nik and Maria’s oldest. Maria’s death effects Freja the most out of Nik’s three children. You really see the stress she has worrying about her father, how they will live, and having to go to a regular school (to which she referred to as prison early in the film).
Her relationship with Ronja is also a source of stress as the two seemed to drift further apart. The documentary does a great job focusing on this relationship as it is the most complicated relationship of the film. Ronja also a child albeit a teenager deals with her mother’s death by pulling away from her family. Being around the other children reminds her too much of her mother. She is not oblivious to the fact that her sister Freja needs her, and you see her try to navigate being there for her sister while taking care of her own mental health.
A New Kind of Wilderness was an enjoyable documentary about the importance of family support. A heartwarming story that will make you fall in love with the Payne family. And while I don’t believe this was the story Jacobsen set out to make in the beginning, it came together in a heartfelt way.
- DIRECTOR(S)SILJE EVENSMO JACOBSEN
- PRODUCERMARI BAKKE RIISE
- EXECUTIVE PRODUCERKIM CHRISTIANSEN
- CINEMATOGRAPHYSILJE EVENSMO JACOBSENKARINE FOSSERLINE K. LYNGSTADAAS
- EDITORSKRISTIAN TVEITCHRISTOFFER HEIE
- COMPOSEROLAV ØYEHAUG
- SOUND DESIGNERYNGVE LEIDULV SÆTRE
- COLORISTTOM CHR. LILLETVEDT
- FEATURINGULV VATNE PAYNEFALK VATNE PAYNEFREJA VATNE PAYNERONJA BREDA VATNEMARIA GROS VATNENIKOLAUS ITHELL PAYNE
- PRODUCTION COMPANYA5 FILM
- YEAR2024
- CATEGORYFEATURE
- COUNTRYNORWAY
- LANGUAGEENGLISH, NORWEGIAN
- RUN TIME84 MIN
The post A New Kind of Wilderness: A Touching Documentary about Moving Forward After Loss appeared first on The Nerd Element.
Downtown Miami welcomed a new addition to its tech ecosystem Feb. 15 with the grand opening of The Source, a Black-owned tech center, according to the Miami Herald.
The project was led by Miami Gardens native Ted Lucas, founder of Slip-N-Slide Records, and his business partner Hilmon Sorey, a seasoned venture capitalist with investments in over 100 companies, including Uber and Lyft.
“If you look like me, I want to see how you are going to help my community,” Lucas said. “That’s very important to me.”
The Source aims to foster local tech talent and support students, startups, and small businesses through accelerators, workshops, and networking opportunities.
Lucas recognized Miami Mayor Francis Suarez’s efforts in attracting tech founders to Miami and engaged with him during the COVID-19 pandemic to explore ways for Black residents to actively participate in the burgeoning tech scene.
“It’s important to have a space like this because there are a lot of different organizations handling different aspects of the tech ecosystem,” said Stefan Owens, head of Growth and Investment at The Source. Miami-Dade Commissioner Oliver Gilbert III, who attended the grand opening, expressed confidence in The Source’s commitment to supporting startup founders and empowering others.
Through a partnership between Lucas’ Tech Knowledge organization and Florida Memorial University, The Source has supported tech boot camps, training local residents for future tech jobs. “Within the last two years, we’ve invested $500,000 in startup companies, and we’re just getting started,” Lucas said.
Desiray Malcolm, a single mother of two from Miami Gardens, who worked in warehousing, participated in a tech boot camp at Florida Memorial University. Later, she secured became an account manager at Kaseya.
“They say this is the beginning for The Source, but I feel like we’ve already taken off,” Malcolm said.
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A record-breaking 123.7 million people tuned into Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11, watching the Kansas City Chiefs secure their second consecutive championship and R&B superstar Usher Raymond bring a taste of A-town to Sin City during his halftime performance.
Yet, beyond the big game, it’s the league of professionals working behind the scenes that keep the NFL and its players operating efficiently. Those representing athletes don’t get nearly as much recognition as the players on the field. Meanwhile, it’s often even harder for Black professionals to break into or get opportunities for advancement within the sports industry. That’s why sports and entertainment attorney Jaia Thomas, Esq. launched Diverse Representation, an organization dedicated to increasing the hiring and exposure of African Americans in sports and entertainment.
“I was tired of seeing so many Black athletes and Black entertainers represented by white agents, white attorneys, white managers, and white publicists. I wanted to make sure that more of them were being represented by people who look like them,” said Thomas while in Las Vegas for Super Bowl weekend. “The company started as just a directory of all the Black attorneys, agents, managers, and publicists in sports and entertainment. Since then, we’ve grown into different programming and events.”
Ahead of Super Bowl Sunday, Thomas partnered with the Minorities in Sports Business Network to host the second annual “Toast to Black Sports Luncheon” on Feb. 8, honoring two of the five Black NFL team presidents: Jason Wright, president of the Washington Commanders, and Kevin Warren, president of the Chicago Bears.
“Usually during Super Bowl weekend, a lot of emphasis is placed on celebrating players and the people on the field. We just felt like there still wasn’t enough celebration of the people behind the scenes — the agents, the owners, the executives,” Thomas told BLACK ENTERPRISE at the luncheon. “There really wasn’t an event like this during Super Bowl weekend specifically for Black professionals in sports. So, we wanted to create a space to congregate, celebrate, [and] network with Black professionals in the industry.”
Held at Brezza, a refined Italian steakhouse on the Las Vegas Strip, the intimate ceremony included a select group of former NFL players, sports agents, and executives from Goldman Sachs, which sponsored the event.
“Jason is the very first Black president in the NFL. Kevin is the most recently hired president in the NFL, so they’re kind of bookends in terms of Black presidents in the NFL,” continued the Los Angeles-based lawyer. “They’ve both done amazing work within their tenure as presidents and we wanted to honor and celebrate them and encourage them to keep on going.”
While accepting his award, Wright reflected on Warren’s legacy as a mentor and trailblazing Black sports executive. Warren then shared a moving testimony about how he recovered from a debilitating car accident as a child and has since leaned on his faith for guidance, especially during challenging times in his career.
“They both gave amazing, fantastic inspiring speeches upon receiving their awards. They really lit up the room, and I think a lot of people left very inspired,” said Thomas.
Following the lunch, Warren told BE that the key to career elevation is faith and identity.
“We need to embrace our background, our heritage, but also just having a strong faith. I found it makes life more simple when you just follow the voice and the wisdom and the heeding of God,” he said.
Wright told BE that he’s optimistic about the NFL’s diversity efforts and acknowledged the accomplishments of all the three other Black team presidents: Sashi Brown of the Baltimore Ravens, Sandra Douglass Morgan of the Las Vegas Raiders, and Damani Leech of the Denver Broncos.
“Sandra led the league and ticket revenue. Kevin is making progress on a new stadium deal. Damani did a major renovation. The Ravens continue to outperform for their market. We led the league in all these revenue growth categories,” he said. “The belief in Black intellect to run businesses in terms of dollars and cents is growing, and more people will get opportunities in the future.”
In addition to the luncheon, Diverse Representation partnered with William Morris Endeavor, one of the largest sports and entertainment talent agencies in the world, to host a networking event for diverse agents, executives, and managers working in sports and entertainment. The lounge included an open bar, light bites, and a gifting suite featuring Black-owned products such as Tracee Ellis Ross’ PATTERN Beauty, Brandon Blackwood, WILL Perform by Serena Williams, and Harlem Candle Co. The event also featured an exclusive fireside chat with sports broadcast journalists and WME clients Jemele Hill and Cari Champion.
“There’s a lot of attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion,” said Hill during the discussion, noting the weaponization of critical race theory by right-wing conservatives. “What I have seen and witnessed is that those same companies that were pledging to listen to Black folks and to do better by Black folks just three, four years ago after the unfortunate murder of George Floyd have all gone running,” she continued. “This is the thing that people have to understand when it comes to supporting marginalized communities: it’s a tough fight.”
At another point during the conversation, Champion praised Hill for her unwavering support throughout her career and the opportunities Hill gave her while they were working for ESPN.
“When I didn’t believe in myself and I didn’t think I mattered, she had my back,” said Champion. “When I didn’t think that my voice was important in sports and I didn’t think anybody cared about what I said, she invited me on her show to talk about my opinion. She helped me develop a voice. She already had the street credibility, she already had the acumen, and I was a new girl coming in.”
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