Wild Honey: Caring for Bees in a Divided Land

"…I had no prior film-making experience...I understood that the harvest would, by necessity, take place at night in the forest and I had no idea how I could usefully film in that setting" (Palmer 2019). This candid admission from a human geography researcher attempting to document a nocturnal honey harvest in West Timor marks the beginning of Research-Integrated Documentary (RID) methodology. This collaborative approach transforms academic research into professionally produced, culturally responsive documentaries through researcher training and iterative team-based practice built on collaborative working relationships, shared decision-making, and ongoing dialogue between all participants.