New Zealand Documentary Film, 'A Grandmother's Tribe', raises CA $50,000 for African grandmothers
Auckland, NZ - November 23, 2007
New Zealand Company, Borderless Productions', latest film, 'A Grandmother's Tribe' has already raised CA$50,000 for African grandmothers.
The film, which tells the story of two grandmothers in Kenya - one rural and one urban - caught in the riptide of HIV/AIDS and left to raise their orphaned grandchildren, premiered a few weeks ago in a black-tie Gala Screening, sponsored by Canadian Company Element & Associates in Vancouver, Canada. After the film had been seen, a man in the audience raised his hand, and asked what it would cost to build a house for one of these grannies. The answer was $3,000. The man said he wanted to write a cheque. Another person raised their hand, and said they would like to build a house too. Within minutes, 10 houses had been pledged!
Developed as a model for "media and social enterprise", proceeds from 'A Grandmother's Tribe' special screenings, fund-raising & film distribution will be directed, through the 'A Grandmothers Tribe Fund - held in trust by Borderless Foundation NZ'. This Trust will work with community-based projects in Africa that support grandmother initiatives.
You are all invited to join in this online dialogue - ask questions, add comments or even read what others have to say about it. SIMPLY LOG ON TO the social edge site and set up a FREE user name and you will be able to join in. Social Edge is a program of the Skoll Foundation that was inspired by Jeff Skoll's commitment to connecting people with shared passions. Social Edge is the global online community where social entrepreneurs and other practitioners of the social benefit sector connect to network, learn, inspire and share resources.
Vancouver Screenings and Fundraising events - Presented by the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education
25 October 2007
On the 31st October (Wednesday) we are hosting the Vancouver Gala Fundraiser and Screening at the VanCity theatre. Due to the popular demand for this film, and our need to really acknowledge the many people who have helped us "make it happen" we have made this an event by invitation only.
There are two further dialogue screenings on 2nd November (Friday 11am & 2pm) also at the VanCity Theatre. Proceeds from these events will be given to the Stephen Lewis Foundation to support grandmothers in Sub-Saharan Africa raising young orphaned grandchildren.
Registration for Nov 2nd Dialogue Screenings : seats are limited; e-mail agtevents@telus.net with your name and number of requested seats.
World AIDS Day Screening and Fundraiser (New Zealand - 28 November 2007)
25 October 2007
In New Zealand, following the WORLD PREMIERE, AGT has been invited to screen at a fundraising evening at the Academy Theatre in Auckland to raise funds for people living with HIV/AIDS. This event is hosted by a group of top NZ NGOs - YWCA, Child Fund, World Vision, Oxfam, Positive Women (NZ), and others. Proceeds from this event go towards people living with AIDS in NZ. For information on this event, or to find out how the film may be used to help raise awareness and support for grandmothers in all parts of the world, please contact us.
Documentary film, 'A Grandmother's Tribe' awarded SPECIAL MENTION in the 2007 DOCNZ International Documentary Film Festival, Auckland, New Zealand
Auckland, NZ - October 3, 2007
Today it was announced that the Borderless Productions' documentary film, 'A Grandmother's Tribe', is awarded a SPECIAL MENTION after being selected a finalist in the 2007 DOCNZ International Documentary Film Festival competing for the honor of Best New Zealand Documentary. The world premiere, which was held on September 29, 2007 in Auckland, attracted one of the biggest audiences the festival has seen. 'A Grandmother's Tribe' now travels to Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington for further screenings as a part of DOCNZ Festival.
DOCNZ is considered Australasia's leading documentary film festival and competition.
About the Documentary
Set between a tiny village and the largest slum in Africa, comes a story of two remarkable grandmothers. A Grandmother's Tribe is a 54-minute documentary that reveals the lives of countless grandmothers of Africa, left behind after the loss of their own children, who, with determination and tenderness are now responsible for the rearing of their orphaned grandchildren.
• It is estimated that in sub-Saharan Africa, there are now 16 million AIDS-orphaned children.
• In some regions, up to 60% of orphaned children are being raised by their grandmothers.
• Very little aid is reaching these women to help them with food, shelter, health care and education.
Directors, Dean Easterbrook and Qiujing Wong, of Borderless Productions Limited (NZ) bring audiences an unobstructed story of Emmanuel Makokha and Silas Odhiambo and their grandmothers who have selflessly stepped forward to raise, educate and prepare them for a better future. Their story begins seven days before, and leads up to Christmas Day as we witness the struggle, survival and reality of these grandmother-headed homes.
A Story that is Already Creating Impact
During the nine-month editing phase of the film, the story began to attract interest and momentum. Filmmakers, Dean Easterbrook and Qiujing Wong had launched Borderless Productions, as a "globally conscious" enterprise, with the vision to create films that would positively impact the world. Proceeds from 'A Grandmother's Tribe' will benefit the Stephen Lewis Foundation, a Canadian based organisation which supports community-based African organizations that benefit women and children living with HIV/AIDS and, in particular, grandmothers. Stephen Lewis, former UN Envoy to Africa, describes these women as "the unsung heroes of Africa".
The Vancouver Gala Screening will be presented by the Dalai Lama Center for Peace & Education. It is the first time the Center has hosted a film event, which will be held on October 31, 2007 (sponsored by Element & Associates).
The documentary will be entered in film festivals throughout North America, Asia and Europe before distribution through theatrical and broadcast release. There will also be a DVD and companion book released at a later date.
North American Premiere to be held in Vancouver, Canada on 31st October and 2nd November 2007
16 September 2007
A Grandmother's Tribe will be hosting its 'North American Gala Fundraiser Premiere' in Vancouver, Canada on Wednesday, 31st October 2007. We are proud to be associated with the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education as our presenting partner. Two further screenings / dialogue sessions will be held on 2nd November 2007.
Information on tickets and screenings may be found on our Calendar page from 1 October 2007.
Selected Finalists in the DOCNZ International Documentary Festival 2007
6 September 2007
A Grandmother's Tribe has been selected as one of eleven finalists in the New Zealand Competition for DOCNZ 2007. This will be announced at the Media Launch in Auckland, New Zealand at 6:30PM Thursday, September 6th, 2007. The eleven selected films will compete for cash prizes and top honours in the categories of Best New Zealand Feature, Best New Zealand Medium and Best New Zealand Short. The winners of the New Zealand Competition will be announced at our Awards Night in Auckland on the 1st of October 2007.
For more information, please refer to the DOCNZ website www.docnz.org.nz for a downloadable programme and festival schedule.
WORLD PREMIERE ANNOUNCEMENT & NORTH AMERICAN GALA PREMIERE:
1 August 2007
"A Grandmother's Tribe" has been selected for a world premiere screening at the DOCNZ Documentary Film Festival. The Festival will travel to Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin between Sept 27th and Nov 5th with this year's selection of films. Our goal is to FILL the cinemas in all four cities when AGT is shown! We'll keep you posted when specific details for the screening schedules are confirmed. DOCNZ is considered Australasia's premiere, documentary film festival so it is quite the honour to be selected!
The next important AGT date to put in your calendar is the North American gala premiere! The date is Wednesday, October 31st at the VanCity Theatre in Vancouver, Canada. This is the new 'home theatre' of the Vancouver International Film Festival. We are very honoured to be the first film presented by the Dalai Lama Center for Peace & Education, based in Vancouver. There will be a lot more to tell you about this special event, but we'll have to keep you in suspense for now. We are thrilled to have this opportunity to premiere our film, in the city we call our "northern home", with many of you who have supported our film from the very beginning."
A Grandmother's Tribe - as featured on bfm
18 December 2006
Host Kim Choe from The Wire, bfm interviewed Q on 18th December 2006, about their experience so far filming A Grandmother's Tribe in Kenya.
A Grandmother's Tribe - as featured on Daryn Kagan
13 December 2006
Daryn Kagan, US news anchor and tv personality has launched a site where she tells stories of hope and possibility. She has covered our story and you may watch her video at: www.darynkagan.com/world/index.html
Thanks Daryn for your support!
Change of plans
10 December 2006
We're in Kisumu and have had a wee change of plans. We had expected to be here for 4 or so days but after one day yesterday with 3 grannies and some locals, it is a challenge to find where the hope lies. Understandably, life here in an urban centre is complex - poverty, disease, corruption and all sorts of things make it hard to capture the grandmothers' voices. They are less forthcoming. BUT WOW, now that we've seen this, we can really see that there is so much hope in the village! The contrasts are amazing - the people there ask for so little and we feel that our help on behalf of our friends and family is so worthwhile there - it really is. Having susie with us (our resident granny) has been awesome. She is a rockstar. And felix is very knowledgable about the local ins and outs. He is great at cautioning us on what to do and how to be. We dont want to offend people or cause problems anywhere. So right now we're bound back for the village - Kimberley (from Canakiwi) has kindly offered to support the building of an acerage for all the village women to work on to buld a sustainable existence for the farm. So with that news, we will take ourselves back and build it with them.
Everyday life...
9 December 2006
Yesterday we were driving along the road after having wrapped all our filming in the village in Busia, when we stumbled over a woman sitting in the gutter on the country road. We stopped when we realised she had blood all over her and discovered she had just miscarried. She had started having pains at home and was walking to the "hospital" when it all happened too soon. So we put her and her very confused young husband in the van, leaving behind a puddle of blood, and headed for the dispensary. Unbelievably when we got there, the nurse turnd us away saying we had to take her to hospital. Then when we got to the hospital, which would have taken her hours to walk to, they ere charging to see her. Fortunately between susie and us we were able to cover it, but the point here is that health and sanitation is not available, and one of the things that are being worked on is to be able to make this possible for people in villages. Today we're in Kisumu and will be filming grannies in the slums from tomorrow onwards. It was sad to farewell Frida, but we know now she is so much stronger for have had a little help from friends.
Village Life...
6 December 2006
Grandmother's are the best! Go give your granny a hug!!! We're in Busia at a village at the moment and will be here for a week in total. It's perfect. Then we're off to Kisumu and then Nakuru. (All this is west Kenya) The grannies came together yesterday in a gathering, one they usually have on tuesdays, with the purpose of building strength and sharing their burdens. With some of the help our sponsors have given, we were able to by each granny one bag of flour, one of sugar, and a tub of cooking fat. (Total cost 9,000 shillings) Ontop of that we gave them one litre of Paraffin which will help their grandchildren study by light when it gets dark. Felix and Susie's work here with Voiceless is, in my opinion, the perfect approach to building sustainability for these communities without intruding on their normal ways of life. They have so far built a pilot project - one home for a granny (Mama Frida) and it only cost $2100 US to build! And then they bought 10 cows for 10 grannies and those who missed out will take the offspring when these ones mature. So we're back to basics here, but I am loving being able to stop and take a good look at how humans survive even in the most simple environments. Part of me envies the organic, natural way they live - sometimes I question whether we're that much better off in our busy, technologically bound world. Anyway, the point is, we're having an amazing experience and the story will be a beautiful one. Thanks for all your ongoing support and drop us a line sometime. All our love Dean and Q xx (And Felix and Susie from www.voicelesschildren.org - and Ndungu our driver). From Busia, Kenya.
NZ Filmmaker Wins Scholarship For Africa Project
6 November 2006
At a special event hosted by AMP Financial Services, Qiujing Wong (Q) from Borderless Productions was awarded one of twelve scholarships to help launch a unique filmmaking endeavour in Africa.
The scholarship will support Q, her partner Dean and their team of volunteers as they embark on their global campaign to bring awareness to the grandmothers of Africa and around the world who care for orphaned children. The first part of the project entitled 'A Grandmother's Tribe' is to travel to Kenya, Africa and capture the voices of the grandmothers there on film.
