They live a hand-to-mouth existence day after day, and they constantly dream of a better life like the ones they see in the media. And the media, particularly television, has always offered them an escape. The high impact of images and sound makes television highly effective in moving their emotions.

Most people saw video and television as a means to entertain and escape, the Mekong Media Fellowship Experiment (MMFE) tests the theory that video will also be able to move people to action. And what could move them more than their very own stories, told in their own language, and by their own people?

An experiment is meant to test theories and obtain results. The Mekong Media Fellowship Experiment (MMFE) tests the feasibility of a simple idea: empower people by letting them tell their own stories through documentaries.

The Philippines is the training ground for the Mekong fellows. Philippine media enjoys a reputation of superior broadcast communication skills and talent. Philippine press is free, hard-hitting and bold, while media in most of the Mekong countries is still heavily controlled by their governments. Philippine media also has its share of practitioners who abuse the freedom and power of the press and are vulnerable to bribery, blackmail and corruption.

It is in these strengths and weaknesses that may provide our Asian neighbours with excellent samples for learning.

The MMFE is a first time venture for the Probe Media Foundation, with the financial support of the Rockefeller Foundation, in terms of a documentary production fellowship in the Mekong, and therefore, an experiment in all senses of the word.

From June 2 to 24, 2002, the ten participants or fellows received hands-on training in all aspects of documentary production — script writing, videography, camera handling, directing, reporting and editing, with emphasis on journalistic ethics and social responsibility. The sessions were held in various areas in Luzon, namely Laguna, Manila, Baguio and Hapao, Ifugao province. Though the lectures and activities were important, the most valuable lessons were from the sharing of cultures and media experiences of the fellows.

Distinguished journalists, broadcasters, filmakers and artists Cheche Lazaro, Howie Severino, Chichi Fajardo-Robles, Luchi Cruz-Valdez, Booma Cruz, Fruto Corre, Kidlat Tahimik and Joey Ayala took time off their busy schedules to impart their talents, knowledge and experiences with fellow Asian media practitioners and artists.

The fellows left the Philippines on June 25, 2002 carrying with them freshly produced documentaries, new ideas, experiences, friendships, and a sub-grant to create another documentary in their home countries with their partner fellows.

Within four months, the fellows planned, researched, interviewed and shot their stories in their countries. They sent their tapes over to their Philippines for final editing of their documentaries. The topics were on Culture vs. Development in Vietnam and Cambodia, Women Trafficking from Lao to Thailand and Environmental Degradation in Vietnam. In November 2002, the fellows regrouped to view their films in a media forum in Thailand. Guests from the media and academe screened and reviewed the films: Lawan Jirasuradej (Thail Filmmaker), Metha Sereethanawong (Professor at Chulalongkorn University), Johanna Son (Inter Press Service Asia-Pacific) and Cheche Lazaro. Their comments were used to improve the fellows documentaries. The finished films were then compiled into CDs and distributed throughout the region.

Though the documentaries in the MMFE required much improvement, many have found merit in the efforts to link journalists in the region to focus on issues beyond the borders of the Mekong. The Rockefeller Foundation acknowledged this effort and has decided to continue to support the project for the next few years, thus providing more opportunities to create sounds and images toward a Greater Mekong Subregion.