365 docobites…a year of strangers

365 docobite Meet a Stranger a Day
Photo: 365 docobites

 

That crazy Gen-Y duo, Epiphany & Carl actually did it. Yesterday, they posted docobite no.365! And I was so excited and moved when I watched it, I actually had tears in my eyes. Here, watch for yourself:

Now, some of you will have no idea at all what this is all about. So let me rewind a bit…

365 docobites is the fabulous project of two talented Australian film-makers, Epiphany Morgan and Carl Mason.

The pair set out a year ago to meet 365+ strangers across five continents, convince each of the strangers to appear on camera, film a mini-documentary (1-4 minutes) about each of them, edit the video and upload the finished ‘docobites’ to social media platforms every single day for a year.

Each of the docobites is a unique glimpse into each person’s life – what they do, what’s important to them, what they hope for in the future, what they reflect on from the past.

I’ve been following their progress since Epiphany first contacted me back in July last year. (Click on this link for my first post about the project or for a follow up post click this link.)

Over the year, Carl and Epiphany met strangers in 30 countries across five continents. They left Australia a year ago and headed to New York City, then continued on around the world, arriving back here via Asia. Along the way, they travelled in planes, buses, cars, trains, bamboo trains, ferries, by foot, sailing boats, waterfall, even a zip line. And they stayed in a variety of places ranging from Airbnb accommodation to hostels, friends’ couches and even tents in the African bush.

The ‘strangers’ they met along the way provided a fascinating insight into the world’s people, their lives, their hopes, their concerns and their dreams. I asked Epiphany what aspects she found most people had in common:

We all want to be loved, and to love, to belong, to have purpose, to be happy, to have shelter, to eat, we all share the same human needs and desires and once we realise that, I think the better off we are.

And what were the most striking differences?

Quality of life – access to education, health care, food, shelter. That is the biggest difference we saw. Very simple things we can all make efforts to change.

What I have really loved about the 365 docobites project is the way that it uses storytelling as a medium to create a greater understanding of the wider world and its people. When we share our stories, we make connections that break down barriers. Our stories highlight all the ways we are similar, and also create awareness of the ways we are different. And hopefully, through that, we are motivated to do what we can to create a fairer life for all.

Photo: 365 docobites
Filmakers, Epiphany and Carl. Photo: 365 docobites

 

I’ve also loved the fact that this project showed real hard-core long-term commitment. In today’s internet age of viral five-minute wonders, it is so refreshing to see young people set out on a year-long journey – not to create an instantaneous internet sensation – but to put in the hours and effort required to construct a thoughtful and valuable contribution to the world. And that’s why their final video brought tears to my eyes…I was so glad to see them stick it out and achieve what they had set out to do.

However, this isn’t the end for 365 docobites. They just can’t help themselves making stories, so they will be continuing to make one a week now, but they’d also like others to jump on board. Soon they will be inviting like-minded storytellers to capture stories on film in their own communities and contribute to the project. Check out one of the links below to follow their progress.

If you’d like to meet some of the 365 docobite strangers you can view the whole 365 films by visiting the 365 docobites website, or TumblrFacebookTwitterYouTube, Instagram and Vimeo

 

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