18 Jul News after site crash
Paul sorts our computer problems
So, when we finally got round to updating our good ole blog last week, the site, our entire domain, in fact, disappeared in a flash -just a warning not to go clicking on those updating buttons too fast. So, Paul, had a couple of very frustrating days and Leticia kept plowing on with the edit of City Wild which is now, we’re happy to say, on its way to the finish line -we still have two endings, but where would the fun be otherwise, eh? So yes, we have a final cut of our first feature doc! More about that HERE.
Forty Foot has also just been to Shanghai and, we’re very excited to announce our next documentary project: Land of Amber, which takes us back to Chiapas, Mexico, where it all started 6 years ago.
We’ve teamed up again with Alicia Arnandis, our production assistant and stills photographer for After The Revolution, to co-produce her own doc. Land of Amber takes us back to the themes of economic and ethnic justice: Mexican amber is praised by experts for its rudimentary ancient Mayan form of extraction; it can achieve high prices in jewellery shops and fairs, specially when it contains fossils, but the Mayan miners of today have to withstand substandard working, living, high-risk and low-pay conditions.
Thanks to the support of the Simon Cumbers Media Fund we’re going to be able to travel to the location with Alicia next winter to continue filming, and then we’ll bring the material back for post production in Ireland. Alicia has been carrying out research and initial filming with the mining families for two years. You can see some of her stunning stills for After The Revolution here and below are some of her photos for this project:
Fossilised insects
Location of some of the mines
Climbing up to the mines
Miner
Mining children at the entrance to one of the mines
Dionisio, Esperanza and their children polishing the amber