Jonno Durrant and Stefan Hunt have made a documentary about Australian couple Pam and Alan Skuse and the orphanage they run in Tapachula, Chiapas. Somewhere Near Tapachula highlights the work of the couple and volunteers who look after 54 children at Misión México. Jonno and Stefan film examines this refuge and the unique surfing community it has grown into.
I got the opportunity to ask the filmmakers about their project...
You became aware of Misión México when you were asked to donate a DVD of your documentary Surfing 50 States, what was it that made you volunteer in Tapachula, and specifically with Alan and Pam Skuse?
JD: We were touring Surfing 50 States through North American winter and Stefan just wanted to go somewhere warm, when we heard these kids surfed; it sounded like a fun place.
SH: I think it's a common desire of young people today to volunteer and help the less fortunate. When I heard about Pam and Alan Skuse and the work they were doing at Misión México, I was pretty psyched to go down there and get involved.
How soon after arriving in Tapachula and Misión México did you decide that you wanted to make a documentary, and how did you fund the project?
SH: I'd been at Misión México for about a week, surfing with the kids and getting to know their stories. I was so impacted by what these kids had suffered, but blown away by the love of Pam and Alan, along with the solace they find in surfing that I felt compelled to make a documentary.
JD: Stefan was so inspired by these kids, he emailed me saying, “You HAVE to come down here and bring some cameras, and we have to get this footage!”. Our cameras were back in Australia, so I contacted Walking On Water, a Christian Surf Filmmaking company and asked if we could borrow some cameras for a month. Then awesome companies such as Hurley, Global Surf Industries and Guzman y Gomez Mexican Taqueria have given us money to cover the production and tour costs, so every cent we make can go back to the kids!
What was your goal in making the documentary?
JD: Just to share the inspiring story of Pam and Alan and these kids and hope it makes people realise how good their lives are and want to help a bit with volunteering, money or donating a surfboard!
SH: The inspiration behind making this documentary was definitely the kids and their attitude towards their new life. Just like Pam, Alan and all the volunteers who come through Misión México, I wanted a brighter future for these children, to provide the opportunities for them to achieve their goals.
Tapachula seems to house some significant organised crime groups smuggling people and drugs from Central and South America, how did you find it during your time volunteering and filming there?
JD: It seemed very safe to us; we met lots of friendly people in the street and at the beach, who would stare open-mouthed at us and the kids surfing.
SH: The majority of our time was spent inside the refuge or at the beach, so we never really ran into any trouble, not to say it doesn't exist. I know the week after I left one of the kids was held up with a machete just for his pair of shoes. I think like anywhere there are the dangerous parts of town, but you know when to turn around and not walk down the dodgy looking street.
You are currently working towards a target of raising $100,000, with all the profits from Somewhere Near Tapachula and merchandise going to the Misión México. What will Pam and Alan be able to do with this money?
SH: The goal is to raise $100,000 for what we have labelled the 'future fund'. A lot of kids are graduating in the next few years, and university was out of the question due to funding, but with the future fund Pam and Alan will be able to send kids off to become doctors, pilots and whatever it is the kids are passionate about. The future of Misión México is very exciting, and with this fundraising tour the kids will be that little bit closer to achieving their dreams.
JD: It will also support the surfing program. A huge goal is to buy a block of land on the beach where they surf all the time that is $5,000…and covered with palm trees! They want to build a base there that can one day become a surf school and camp where they can teach the local struggling community the joys and love of surfing.
You are obviously passionate about surfing, as are the orphans at Misión México; is surfing a connection that supersedes cultural and language differences?
JD: Definitely yes. I don’t want to get to spiritual, but it is just a lot of fun, and when you share that with someone, you can’t help but get a connection.
SH: Most definitely. You don't have to speak the same language or follow the same beliefs to share the common stoke of Surfing. When I would go surfing with the kids from Misión México I never felt intimated or uncomfortable, I was just out there 'yeewwwing' the grommets into some pretty sizey waves. Definitely one of the best experiences of my life.
Pam Skuse has said that the children view the beach and surfing as a ‘place to escape’, what do you think it is about surfing that the children of Misión México find so therapeutic?
JD: These kids go to school Monday through Friday, they have homework and chores like any other kid. The older kids get to surf early on Saturday morning, then the whole orphanage goes to the beach on Sunday. It is something the kids look forward to all week, and the weather and water is warm and the waves can get really good, so it’s a fun time had by all. Combine this with sharing it with your 50+ ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’, it helps wash all the cares of the week, and their troubled past away.
SH: When the kids are in the water they're not thinking about their pasts, they are just living in the moment with their new brothers and sisters. Surfing is a healthy challenge for them, and when they stand up on a wave you can feel their accomplishment, they're just super stoked on this new lifestyle. Surfing is a place of solace for everyone, but for these kids who have had to deal with so much at such a young age, surfing is the biggest breathe of fresh air.
JD: Definitely yes. I don’t want to get to spiritual, but it is just a lot of fun, and when you share that with someone, you can’t help but get a connection.
SH: Most definitely. You don't have to speak the same language or follow the same beliefs to share the common stoke of Surfing. When I would go surfing with the kids from Misión México I never felt intimated or uncomfortable, I was just out there 'yeewwwing' the grommets into some pretty sizey waves. Definitely one of the best experiences of my life.
Pam Skuse has said that the children view the beach and surfing as a ‘place to escape’, what do you think it is about surfing that the children of Misión México find so therapeutic?
JD: These kids go to school Monday through Friday, they have homework and chores like any other kid. The older kids get to surf early on Saturday morning, then the whole orphanage goes to the beach on Sunday. It is something the kids look forward to all week, and the weather and water is warm and the waves can get really good, so it’s a fun time had by all. Combine this with sharing it with your 50+ ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’, it helps wash all the cares of the week, and their troubled past away.
SH: When the kids are in the water they're not thinking about their pasts, they are just living in the moment with their new brothers and sisters. Surfing is a healthy challenge for them, and when they stand up on a wave you can feel their accomplishment, they're just super stoked on this new lifestyle. Surfing is a place of solace for everyone, but for these kids who have had to deal with so much at such a young age, surfing is the biggest breathe of fresh air.
How did the children at the orphanage feel about a documentary being made about them, and have they seen the end result?
JD: They were excited to be on camera as most kids are. They were really excited to see their surfing played back to them, I don’t think any of them had seen that before.
SH: I had been hanging out with the kids for about a month before we started filming, so they felt comfortable around me to open up and share their stories. It was pretty heavy at times, but I would explain to them that their courage is going to inspire people to help them achieve their dreams. I returned a few months later with an edited version just for the kids and they loved it so much. Sitting down with all the grommets and watching them laugh their heads off during the wipeout section was awesome.
On your blog you have put up a quote from a reviewer- “But Jonno and Stefan were so dumb, so totally uncool, that ultimately you had to love them”, you are also compared to Bill and Ted in the same review- do you think this is a fair assessment?
SH: I laughed so much when I read that review, mainly because it's so true. Jonno and I are absolute kooks who just love having a good time, and I think that when people realise that then we grow on them. Until that point we're probably just two annoying guys with a bad sense of humour.
JD: That review was for Surfing 50 States, which is all about slapstick and wacky humour, we had no idea what we were doing, but it worked out with a lot of help. This film is totally different, a lot more serious, so we recruited a lot of help to make this one too.
Will your relationship with Misión México continue and will you go back to Chiapas to film again?
JD: We can’t wait to go back there and film us handing over a $100,000 cheque to Pam and Alan and the kids, then go surfing with them again! We would love to do follow up movies so everyone can see the great things that are happening with these kids’ lives.
SH: There is not a day that goes by that I don't want to go back to Misión México. I will definitely visit that place every opportunity I get, I miss those grommets so much and the best Quesadilla shop in the world is around the corner. But in all seriousness, Misión México will always play a big part in my life, and I will do anything I can to help those kids achieve their dreams and live a life that we take for granted in Australia.
Published on Trespass 16/02/10
