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# Selections from Season 3 of the "Solutions Storytelling Project" Documentary Series
- URL: https://www.moviegoingwithbill.com/selections-from-season-3-ssp/
- Published: 2026-09-15T17:03:16.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-15T17:17:25.000Z
- Description: Short documentaries from Asia.
- Author: Bill Arceneaux
- Tags: Reviews, Film Fests

## Dear Moviegoers,

For the past few years, the "Solutions Storytelling Project," a program from Video Consortium, has hosted in-person screenings and online streams of short documentaries highlighting various international communities. Upon viewing a few of the movies from the current season of the series - focusing on Asia - the project showcases stories about forward-thinking people in regions of the world that are in desperate need of problem solvers. 

It’s progressive filmmaking from filmmakers and organizations, teaming up to enlighten, embolden, and engage.

An “odyssey of the mind,” if you will.

Previous incarnations of this film program covered parts of Latin America and Africa and are currently available to stream on the [Video Consortium online platform](https://videoconsortium.org/solutions?ref=moviegoingwithbill.com). If the following selections from this third season are any indication, the world has a wealth of positivity that can best be described as hopeful. 

Encouraging? That’s another. Inspiring, too:

![](https://www.moviegoingwithbill.com/content/images/2026/09/Arubara_ManuelAlbertoMaia_BlueVentures_260213_Thumbnail-03.png)

***Arubara***  
Directed by Manuel Alberto Maia

From the first few moments of *Arubara*, about the fishing community of Arubara Hamlet in Indonesia, my ignorant assumptions about small villages were immediately washed away. First, two women are shown taking notes and measurements of recent catches with rulers and smartphones, collecting data that will be used to plan future sea harvesting and fishing expeditions off their shore. Second, a family cooks meals while the kids talk about Minecraft. And third, the leaders of the fishers meet to discuss the gathered information and how best to move forward.

Indeed, these actions shouldn’t be a surprise to me, and yet here I am, intrigued by the reach that technology and applications have had in the farthest of places. They’re not using the latest and greatest data-collection devices, mind you, but rather what’s available on any modern-day phone. Cameras and calculators go a long way in determining the fate of a location these days, and do so in a near instant.

The people of Arubara Hamlet have fished as much as they can when the short begins, but choose to stop for a period of three months, in a strong effort to populate more fish and thus replenish their most vital resource. In the interim, they make do with old recipes, internet videos, and patience, with prayer doing some uplifting for the faithful. 

With progressive use of technology also comes progressive views on religion, as the leaders of this village, in a group meeting, call for positive thoughts to whichever God everyone chooses to believe in. Such a wonderful structure to hold a culture together. 

*Arubara* maintains its strong depiction of determination and mind-over-matter resourcefulness by forging trust and by simply being there for the moments that matter. It’s simple, it’s effective, it’s affecting. As lovely a story to tell as can be. **3.5/5**

***Arubara*** will be screening at the following film festivals in the  
coming months:  
[LandXSea Fest](https://www.landxsea.org/festival?ref=moviegoingwithbill.com) \- September 11th to the 13th  
[Lunenburg Doc Fest](https://www.lunenburgdocfest.com/?ref=moviegoingwithbill.com) \- September 23rd to the 27th  
[Green Film Festival of San Francisco](https://greenfest2026.eventive.org/films/6a7c8097673342d45a583898?ref=moviegoingwithbill.com) \- October 15th to the 22nd

![](https://www.moviegoingwithbill.com/content/images/2026/09/weaversgaze1.jpg)

***A Weaver’s Gaze***  
Directed by Abhijit V

An artisan’s work is never finished, but rarely is it truly respected. In *A Weaver’s Gaze*, a handloom operator from India, the aging Faizul Hasan, reflects on his life’s work and labor, while describing family dynamics and ailing eyesight. Surely, making female garments (sarees) is quite the patient process, especially with the machine that he uses. His handloom, adorned with his name, has aged just like he has, but is still reliable despite the wear and tear. It clicks, it clangs, and strings along to the rhythm of his movement. Indeed, an artisan’s work.

This short documentary isn’t a profound film, but a resonant one all the same. Faizul uses his experience and familiar rituals to overcome his lack of clear vision, proving his worth at the clothing device to be as important as ever. A wealth of time and effort is depicted in *A Weaver’s Gaze*, and Faizul is full of both.

From the comfort of America, I found it hard to believe that this man had to purchase glasses from a street vendor, practically picking a pair by chance, and making do for years before finally being seen by a tent doctor. As quickly as he tells his story, the new glasses come through crystal clear, and Faizul presses on as if nothing had changed - though it had by a mile.

Straightforward with occasional flares of technical creativity, *A Weaver’s Gaze* made me appreciate the strong work ethic that comes from years of passion, the perspectives that a craftsman can have, and the conveniences that we take for granted in the Western world. With all the new ways of making products in bulk, fewer and fewer tradesmen are able to pass things on to the next generation of labor. Here’s to the next step. **3.5/5**

***A Weaver’s Gaze*** will have its world premiere at the [United Nations Association Film Festival](https://www.unaff.org/2026/films.html?ref=moviegoingwithbill.com), taking place from October 18th to the 26th.

![](https://www.moviegoingwithbill.com/content/images/2026/09/fieldsofflight1.jpg)

***From Fields to Flight***  
Directed by Ipshita Bhattacharyya

Things like drone technology being used in rural areas to help with farming amaze me absolutely. As do feminist ideas spreading far and wide to old cultures. A young woman, Babita, explores her career choices and family future in *From Fields to Flight*, turning action into a living metaphor. Could it be that controlling such a high-flying piece of graceful technology at one's fingertips provides insight into stillness and forward-momentum for someone looking at their life’s trajectory?

Absolutely.

Babita hosts self-help meetings with other women from all over her region of India, taking her tale directly to others who share her desires and dreams. Babita, while acknowledging that getting married is important to her immediate family, wishes to reconcile her own opportunities first and foremost. She’s strong-willed but kind and polite with everyone, including her father, who is impressed with what she’s done for their community. It’s not asking much at all to respect a woman’s choices, and so goes it with her loved ones. Interesting.

*From Fields to Flight* is a perfect story that encapsulates everything right and regular with our time. Babita’s future isn’t set in stone, but her determination is tough as a rock. If she wants to remain a drone flyer, she will. Should she go to school somewhere else, she could. Getting married? No rush, but maybe it’ll happen. 

For this softened male, she’s the role model that most of us could take lessons from. **4/5**

***From Fields to Flight*** will screen at the [Eastern Oregon Film Festival](https://www.eofilmfest.org/?ref=moviegoingwithbill.com) from October 14th to the 17th, and at [UNAFF](https://www.unaff.org/2026/films.html?ref=moviegoingwithbill.com) from October 18th to the 26th.

![](https://www.moviegoingwithbill.com/content/images/2026/09/REMIGIA20250425_0671.00_01_25_11.Still002.jpg)

***Remigia’s Lessons***  
Directed by Jewel Maranan

Out in the mountains of the Philippines, there’s a grandmother in her 70s, Remigia, who lives in a state of balance, tending to her gardens and listening to the nature around her. She climbs hills, carries heavy bags, and eggs on those following her as if they’re stragglers holding her down, doing so with a toothless smile and a pep in her step. *Remigia’s Lessons* is a lovely and lively film that’s absolute zen and infinite delight. From this one woman, we can all glean meaning and motions about past, present, and future, with nothing lost in translation.

Remigia is never shown with a phone or any other electronic device, depending instead on pencils, paper, and the very integrity of her elderly form, which is amazingly versatile. Sure, she talks of her blurry vision, but adapts nonetheless. Routine? More like out of necessity. Things are as they should be, though things can always be better.

She’s asked about wealth inequality, for which she can only offer up the constant struggle between the haves and the have-nots, by way of a nature analogy. She follows the clouds for rain patterns and to determine what to do next, regarding her gardening and, perhaps, what’s coming for her tomorrow. *Remigia’s Lessons* is ethereal in this way, with a lush visual palette of fog, trees, and beautiful shots of the sky, all surrounded by the calming sounds of near silence.

For Remigia, silence is nice, but conversation is golden. She’s happy to let off the load of what’s on her mind, to philosophize in short moments, and to listen to everything around her. Attentive, she is. Attentive, we all ought to be more like.

An extraordinary film, *Remigia’s Lessons* is a small epic of almost Terrence Malick proportions, at least in its purposeful profundity. No, it’s not hyperbole - this movie is great. Take a knee, open your ears, and listen to the Earth for once. **5/5**

***Remigia’s Lessons*** will have its world premiere at [CineEco](https://cineeco.pt/en/?ref=moviegoingwithbill.com) – International Environmental Film Festival of Serra da Estrela, from October 9th to the 17th.

## Sincerely Yours in Moviegoing,

## ⚜️🍿