We have been through quite a transition on the heels of “The Enemy God” film project. Now we are in prep for a variety of projects including:
- Feature Film with the Maasai in Tanzania – script research and filming promotional material in June
- Feature Film/tv movie/web series (?) in Eurasia – doing research and developing partnerships
- Short Film in N. American urban setting as a collaborative/mentoring project – scripting is in good shape, doing pre-production, filming in late-July(?!)
- Filmmaking Class for homeschooled middle and high school students for Fall 2011 semester
- Visual Storytelling Training in Eurasia – early in conversations for a Spring 2012 event
- Various other audacious concepts are floating around out there; we’ll see which doors open, and when
Tom leads the Gemstone Media team in a story discussion
Tom recently returned from Germany where he led a seminar in non-verbal short film script development. It was a great experience all-around.
You can read about it from their perspective in this nice post from Gemstone Media
We are looking forward to seeing the short film they produce from the script we developed together. Production may happen this fall.
Tags: European film, Gemstone Media, Greater Europe Mission, training, visual story network
We’re please to announce a special screening of our film, The Enemy God, in Toronto on February 19th. That’s next Saturday night. It is hosted by MissionFest Toronto and will be held at Catch The Fire Ministries.
The Enemy God tells the amazing true story of a Yanomamö shaman and the spiritual battle for freedom for his people. If you are in the Toronto area, you won’t want to miss this special event. Here’s what ministry leaders have said about the film:
“This is an intense film. It is sometimes graphic; sometimes heart wrenching, but always engaging… expect to experience a perspective you’ve never felt before.” – Doug Lucas, Missions Leader, Team Expansion
“…the point of Shake’s testimony is very clear. Sinful man without Christ is frightening and abhorrent. Evil spirits control him. Jesus Christ brings health, peace, and prosperity, even to isolated people like the Yanomamö.” – Dr. Ted Baehr, Movieguide.org
More information about the screening can be found at: MissionFest Toronto – The Enemy God.
Tags: film distribution, film screening, Yanomami, Yanomamo
The Red Balloon
We are working with a team in Europe to help them develop short films for European audiences. There are specific challenges to creating visual stories without the use of dialoge.
Read more in Tom’s post on MindSoulStory
Tags: European film, training
(originally posted on MindSoulStory)
Zambia-born filmmaker Franco Sacchi discusses Nollywood, Nigeria’s booming film industry (the world’s 3rd largest) in a TED talk in Arusha, Tanzania. He created a documentary that follows a number of Nigerian filmmakers and highlights the unique voice that filmmakers have found in this developing country. His insights into the role and power of visual storytelling are intriguing to me.
“Try to imagine a world where the only goal is food and a shelter, but no stories – no stories around a campfire…It’s meaningless… I think that the key to healthy society is a thriving community of storytellers. And I think that the Nigerian filmmakers really have proved this. Storytelling is a commodity, a staple; there is no life without stories”
Sacchi says the key to a healthy culture is the storyteller. What are we doing to bring stories to our people? What kinds of stories are we telling – stories of despair, complicity, and oppression, or justice, hope, and freedom?