By Bianca Peters, co-producer of WOW!
It’s Thursday evening and I’m looking into the radiant eyes of our cameraman/biologist. We’re sitting at the table and he’s enthusiastically sharing how amazing it is to be on Curaçao and to experience nature in a completely different way compared to the Windward Islands. He’s especially fascinated by the variety of cacti! But perhaps the most extraordinary part was when he entered the ocean’s “twilight zone” in a small submarine. He describes it so vividly that I can almost feel it: “You slowly descend deeper and deeper into the sea with the submarine. You watch the last rays of light disappear, and then complete darkness surrounds you. Until the lights of the sub switch on, and a magnificent underwater world appears before your eyes. Literally a twilight zone!”
The film crew has officially started on the Leeward Islands. Truly started. After months of preparation, scripts, early morning calls with the Netherlands (or evening for them), searching for partners, scouting locations, arranging permits, finding artists and schools for the WOW-ies programme, writing and rewriting scripts – the filming of the WOW! documentaries for Dutch and local television has officially begun on Curaçao.
We didn’t make it easy on ourselves. The film crew includes the presenter, a field director, two camera operators for the documentaries, a cameraman for the feature film, and two location producers to manage everything smoothly. On each island, two or three local interns are involved. They’re not only learning the craft, but hopefully also developing a passion for it.
In addition to filming the documentaries and the feature film, we’re capturing behind-the-scenes footage for social media and promotional use. We’re also shooting short videos for our partners, which they can use in their own marketing and PR efforts. For example, Z Air joined this week as a partner of WOW! and is sponsoring all inter-island flights. And finally, we’re also running the WOW-ies programme on two mornings.
I turn my head to the right and ask one of the location producers how the WOW-ies project went on Curaçao. With just as much enthusiasm as the cameraman earlier, she shares the collaboration with artist Avantia Damberg, and how children decorated their own wooden cutouts of “Bina,” the island’s endemic white-tailed deer. Some even used dry leaves and twigs. And the most beautiful part? All the creations are displayed at the reception of Christoffel Park. So if you’re in Curaçao, be sure to visit the park and admire the artworks of the island’s youngest residents.
These weeks, we’re filming in places where nature is under pressure, but also where hope shines through. We speak to people who are making a difference with limited resources. People who choose to work with nature. Young people, elders, scientists, fishermen, artists – each with their own love for the land and sea.
After Curaçao, we’ll travel on to Bonaire and Aruba. We’re taking our time. We don’t want to capture superficial images. We want to capture the soul of the islands. That requires patience, trust, and openness – from us as creators, but especially from the people who share their stories with us.
I think of the children who will be watching. Of people in the Netherlands who may, for the first time, truly see how rich and fragile the nature of the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom is. I hope they’ll be moved. That they’ll ask themselves what role they can play.
The power of WOW! lies in the collective. In the collaboration between the islands, between generations, between sectors and the Kingdom. In bringing together culture, ecology, and economy.
