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OCEAN / UNI Activations

On Filmmaking: co-creating narratives with Joel Kaudife Haikali

October 22 – December 8, 2025

Design: T.O.T Studio

Recommended

TBA21–Academy

Digital

Are you a filmmaker and/or storyteller interested in decolonizing strategies in moving image?

As part of OCEAN / UNI’s Activation series, we are looking for practitioners interested in deepening their experience through online, workshop-style sessions designed to reflect on the transformative potential of moving image and narrative practice.

Organized by TBA21–Academy, in collaboration with Namibian filmmaker Joel Kaudife Haikali, this activation series explores filmmaking as a tool to confront historical injustices, preserve memory, and foster healing. His work as a director and producer focuses primarily on African perspectives and unique lived experiences. As the founder and director of Joe Vision Production, Joel has co-created and collaborated with diverse partners locally, regionally, and internationally. His commitment to storytelling as a means of healing and social change is evident in his many projects addressing intergenerational trauma and socio-cultural issues in Namibia and beyond.

Across five activation sessions, Joel will focus on presenting his works, sharing his filmmaking approach, and inviting participants to join a discussion on the transformative power of cinema. Activations aim to create a space where, through collective learning and sharing, participants can explore cinema as a platform of resistance that can challenge dominant narratives and reveal silenced histories.

As an output of the activations, each participant is invited to create a short video reflecting on approaches to “decolonizing” the process within one’s own practice, whatever form that might take. The outputs will be presented on ocean-archive.org.

HOW TO APPLY

We are looking for filmmaking and storytelling practitioners who are interested in repatriation, decolonization, and cinema as a platform of resistance.

You can apply via THIS Google Form no later than October 8, 2025.

Please keep in mind that the activations are designed as a series, which means participants are expected to attend all sessions upon registration.

SCHEDULE

Activation 1:
October 22, 2025: O/U Prologue Session

Featuring Joel Kaudife Haikali as one of the speakers, the first session of OCEAN / UNI will also serve as an introduction to the topic of this year’s activations.

Activation 2:
October 29, 2025: The Ocean as Archive

Explore how art and film, in particular, can serve as a form of therapy, a way to heal. Through storytelling, we embark on a shared journey of healing, reconciliation, and solidarity, one frame at a time.

Activation 3:

November 12, 2025: Confronting Power through Film

Case studies from the work of Joel Haikali and other filmmakers who use cinema to challenge dominant narratives and reveal silenced histories, as well as discuss the power dynamics of filmmaking and funding, shining light on our blind spots.

Activation 4:

November 26, 2025: Co-creating Narratives

Film can shape collective memory, foster empathy, and advocate for restorative justice. By reaching diverse audiences and combining screenings with discussions and educational initiatives, we can spark meaningful conversations about colonialism and its enduring legacies.

Activation 5:
December 8, Screenings and reflections

Sharing participants' videos and reflecting on approaches to “decolonizing” the process within one’s own practice, whatever form that might take.