Brittany Celeste Birberick

Based on filming and research that has already been completed in collaboration with anthropologist Brittany Birberick, video artist Alisa Minyukova, and editor and cinematographer Antoine Cattin, the nine months of funding will support time to review footage, edit the narrative of the film, and do any necessary supplementary research and recording. The proposed film, working title, By the River: Dreams and Divination in South Africa, follows two South African women healers whose callings are intertwined with real and symbolic waterways. Their stories unfold through the dreams that guide them and the people who seek their interpretations. The film weaves together themes of race, gender, class, gambling, Christianity, witchcraft, tradition, and modern life, as seen in the women’s dreams, divinations, and lived experiences. By the River culminates in a collective healing ritual, where personal journeys and spiritual practices converge. The completed film will be shared internationally while also being returned to the communities featured, ensuring these important stories reach both global and local audiences.