Filming of “A Guerra da Beatriz” Completed
Filming has now completed on A Guerra da Beatriz (Beatriz’s War), a collaboration between FairTrade Films Australia and Dili Film Works. The films two directors Bety Reis and Luigi Aqcuisto are working closely with editor Nick Calpakdjian to complete a rough cut by the end of July.
The final stage of the film was mostly shot in the village of Kraras in the Viqueque district of East Timor. The cast and crew numbered over seventy people and on some days there were 200 extras working on the film. Most of the crew were Timorese. Ten Australians were employed on the film to fill some of the key crew roles and to train up and coming Timorese cinematographers, sound recordists and producers. David Elfick, a highly experienced Australian producer joined the shoot for the last week and mentored co-director Bety Reis and other Timorese crew. David was present at the renaissance of the Australian film industry in the 1970’s and has produced many films including Rabbit Proof Fence. David has a close association with East Timor having run a workshop for Dili Film Works in 2010. He is now working together with FairTrade Films to produce a television drama series on the Battle of Timor in 1942 when a handful of Australian commandos halted the Japanese advance through south-east Asia.
A Guerra da Beatriz has received fantastic support from many generous individuals and organisations, however we are still raising funds for the completion of the film. If you would like to contribute, you can visit the Fan Club and/or Supporters page for information on how you can help fund the completion of East Timor’s first feature film.
Included in the gallery is a selection of images taken from our time spent filming in Kraras.