BY ALEX DADAMU
A 26-year-old talented filmmaker, video editor, and director was recognized at the Media Association of Solomon Islands Awards night on Saturday, scooping the top award for the ‘Visual Storytelling’ category.
Mana Levo upon receiving his award told Isles Media that he felt a sense of accomplishment and that, he is happy and excited that all his extra work is getting recognition.
“Being a video director and editor at the same time is a fun experience, but also tough and requires a lot of mental effort,” he said when asked what is it like to be a video editor and director.
Mana is known for his ‘intriguing magic touch’ in video editing, which is noticeable in every project he ever embarked on – his most recent one was ‘Cyclone Season’, a short film that features the disaster preparedness and response of the Oibola Community in Langa Langa, Malaita Province.
He is originally from Kavorani village in Fauro Islands, an island in the far western end of the country – in the Shortland Islands archipelago.
“My childhood was spent in the village, with my grandparents whom I grew up with.
“Storytelling plays a big part growing up, with my grandparents,” he recounted.
Mana went to school in Gizo in the Western province but moved to Honiara in 2013 and studied at King George Sixth then at Saint Nicholas Secondary School where he did his Form 7 education.
“I started having this interest in filmmaking way back in 2018 after doing my Form 7 studies at Saint Nicks.
“I started editing videos as a hobby and just recently went on to take the profession as my full-time job.”
Mana in the meantime expressed his wish to applaud his fellow Dreamcast team for being supportive every step of the way in his filmmaking journey.
“Thank you very much. Also, I wish to thank, Ernest Ta’asi for the nomination,” he said.
“To my fellow youths, whether doing films as a hobby or profession, always commit all the extra effort to ensure your stories have a strong impact on the audience,” Mana advised when asked what is his short advice to youths who might be interested in the same field that he is in.
“Filmmaking is such a huge industry worldwide, but in the Solomons, there’s only a handful of individuals and groups trying to make it work.
“We have an abundance of stories in all the provinces, a lot of potential for big films. We need to come together as a collective and drive these stories towards the big screen,” the young Talented Filmmaker stressed.
