Blowpipes And Bulldozers

This is the inspiring true story of Bruno Manser and the Penan Tribe of Borneo. Filmed on location by award-winning filmmakers Jeni Kendall and Paul Tati, the film follows the relationship between Manser, a Swiss soul-searcher who gave up civilization's creature comforts to live simply, and the Penan Tribe, an aboriginal native people whose habitat in the Sarawak jungle rainforests is being threatened by "The Company" (private logging interests). As the trees which the Penans rely upon for their very existence are cut down in increasing numbers, the Penans become, in one tribal member's words"...like fish thrown on the land." In addition to interviews with Manser and the jungle Penans, the filmmakers talk to Penan people who have been relocated by the private company in ramshackle settlements that provide less of a livelihood than did the jungle. Denounced as a communist by Sarawak officials, living in exile because of his expired visa, Manser has become the voice for the Penans. Through him, the story of their plight has leaked out to the world at large. An absorbing story of one tribe's struggle to survive against outside power and greed. Highly recommended for those libraries who can afford it. (Available from: Bullfrog Films, Oley, PA 19547; 1-800-543-FROG.)