Heartbeat of the World

CELEBRATING CULTURAL DIVERSITY and UNIVERSAL PARALLELS 

Heartbeat of the World is a new Alaska World Arts project working to produce a documentary film that inspires youth to appreciate diversity and interconnectedness by highlighting universal parallels.
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We envision emerging generations that appreciate cultural diversity as a driving force to collaborate, communicate, and address our world's challenges effectively for positive change.

Building a Better Future for Our Youth

At the center of the Universe is a loving heart that continues to beat and that wants the best for every person. Anything that we can do to help foster the intellect and spirit and emotional growth of our fellow human beings, that is our job. Those of us who have this particular vision must continue against all odds. Life is for service.
FRED ROGERS

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A Documentary Film 

Follow the heartbeat of the world. Feel its tremble and take a dive into the destinations and soundscapes that shape destinies. From the skateboarding communities along the coast of New Zealand, hip-hop locomotion in Central America, funk artists in Brazil's favelas, to young people on the boulevards of Kinshasa, the setting and mood change, but the rhythm and bass inside their headphones communicate and reverberate a connection we all share.

FOLLOW THE HEARTBEAT

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Team Members

A dynamic team of professionals working together toward a better future.

Development Director Sara Haugen works in grant and project management for a state conservation agency, is a Spanish speaker, and has a background in international development and sociological research. She has lived abroad and is very well traveled.

Co-Producer Chris Laing is a lifelong community builder and event producer. She is an avid traveler and has lived in Asia and Oceania. Chris is a Habitat for Humanity volunteer, has founded a list of community building NGOs and is an expert in in networking, and  organizational development and management.

Cultural Director Dr. Simon Marijsse is from Belgium with a double PhD from the Institute of Development Policy (U. of Antwerp) and the Dept. of Social and Cultural Anthropology (KULeuven). Drawing from fieldwork in the DR of Congo, his expertise lies at the intersection between the anthropology of mining and technology. 

Director/Producer Sally  Oberstein is the director of Alaska World Arts and the founder of Heartbeat of the World. She holds a degree in art, with graduate work in community development and community education. She has lived abroad and traveled in more than 100 countries.

In Front of the Camera

​Ireland Styvar is a 17-year old high school student from Homer, Alaska who’s been in the performing arts since she was six years old. Her open-hearted values brings her to this project as she creates a sense of family in all her social and artistic endeavors. Ireland is an actress, singer, and dancer with a background of dance intensives in the U.S. from San Francisco to Washington D.C. She is a board member of Alaska World Arts whose mission is to Cultivate Global Connections through the Arts.

Behind the Camera

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Award-winning Cinematographer Chris Scarafile is a 20 year veteran of the film industry and his experience touches every aspect of cinematography. His career spans from dolly gripping for Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese to shooting two-person documentaries throughout southeast Asia, middle east, and the Alaskan outback. He came up the ranks through the art of lighting and camera movement, two pillars of cinematography through which Chris forged his love of storytelling. He is best known for his work on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Blacklist, Boardwalk Empire, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Advisors

Team Advisors

Adnane Benajiba ​is a cultural advisor for Heartbeat of the World. He's a native of Tangiers and was educated at the United International Business School in Europe. Adnane is an entrepreneur businessman and owner of Treasures of Tangiers. 

​Kebede Dache is a cultural advisor for Heartbeat of the World. He studied Tourism management supervision and tour guiding at Lion Ethiopia Tourism and Hotel management college, and currently leads private tours in Ethiopia.

Debi Bodett joins our collective as an independent graphic designer for print and web and has a love for marketing. She comes to graphic design as a practicing artist who primarily uses a camera to collect materials. With a client base from Alaska to Mexico, she specializes in connecting people by design.

Dr. Marshall Hawkins is a renowned bass player having worked with Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Manhattan Transfer, and other jazz greats. He's deeply committed to teaching and gives youth extraordinary opportunities in music education. Marshall is a music advisor for Heartbeat of the World.

Jesus Mesia is a cultural advisor for Heartbeat of the World. He is the founder and director of Ucamara Amazon Hope, aimed at supporting native communities in the most remote areas of the Amazon rainforest and owner of Ucamara Amazon Expeditions.

Julie Johnson is Heartbeat of the World's Southeast Asia advisor. She is a teacher and makes an annual pilgrimage to Cambodia to work with children and local communities. A primary goal of her mission in Cambodia is to facilitate experiential learning of the value of water hygiene. Julie works at the University of Florida. 

Dr. Habib Iddrisu is an assistant professor of ethnomusicology and dance at the University of Oregon. He is an honored choreographer and performer worldwide and founder of Youth Home Cultural Group. He is now researching how indigenous performance practices change as they travel from villages to broader settings. Habib is a music/dance advisor to Heartbeat of the World.

Jake Bevis has a master's degree in multimedia journalism and is currently working as a film editor/photographer at an NBC affiliate news TV station in Portland, Oregon. Jake has traveled abroad and can do a front flip.

Youth Advisors

Adam Nachowitz (20)
Half Indian/half Eastern European descent, Adam is an undergraduate at Victoria University in Wellington, quadruple majoring in Genetics, Molecular Pathology, Theoretical Mathematics, and Classical Voice. He has travelled in North America, Asia and Europe and is an environmental activist, Amnesty International youth leader and a business consultant. 

Anjali Nandedkar (16)
Born in Germany, Anjali is a bilingual half-Indian and half-German high school student in New Zealand. She excels in academics, is an accomplished dancer in multiple styles, and teaches tap dance. She is a lover of sports, teaches swimming, and volunteers as a netball coach. She is well-travelled, helps at a local free-meal service, enjoys baking and art, and caring for animals. 

Ankita Singh (26)
Ankita is an Auckland-based award-winning screenwriter and theatre producer born in India. She has a BA in Communication Studies, a MA in Screenwriting, and is the founder of Oriental Maidens, a creative production company. Ankita is passionate about diversity and advocating for minority representation in front of and behind the camera.

Esther Schuchardt (20)
Of Hong Kong-Chinese and European descent, Esther attends Victoria University, majoring in History and International Relations. Her creative talents span visual to dramatic arts. She holds a NZ Police qualification, has traveled abroad, volunteers in many areas of service, and loves event design, and creative writing.

Josh Nachowitz (24)
Josh, half-Indian/half-Eastern European, completed his Bachelor’s in Environmental Studies and Music and his Masters in Climate Science and Policy. His thesis work explored the granting of legal personhood to forests, rivers and mountains. He works as a policy analyst for the New Zealand Ministry for Environment. Josh is a multi-talented musician, leads Amnesty International groups, and loves travel.

Meg Rolleston (16)
Meg is Māori with roots in the Ngai Te Rangi, Ngāti Maniapoto, and Te Whakatõhea tribes. She is a student in a full immersion Te Reo and is fluent in the language. She is well-versed in her culture and traditional arts, a talented artist, and a community education course instructor in Māori visual arts. Meg has appeared in a NZ TV series and is a skilled Māori kapa haka traditional song and dance performer.

Youth Advisory Team
This team of young adults are New Zealand residents coming from a variety of ethnic and linguistic backgrounds and are involved in broadly diverse areas of study. They have chosen activities and academic pathways that reflect their empathy for people and the environment and their passion for knowledge. 

We greatly appreciate the generosity of Nona Morris, Director of Educational Programmes at EarthDiverse for organizing our Youth Advisory Team. EarthDiverse is a New Zealand-based non-profit charitable organization that provides community-based diversity education across a range of disciplines for youth, adults, NGOs and governmental organizations. 

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Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization.
GANDHI