End of an Era

The last week has been a big and exciting one for me.

Last Friday, my editor odell returned to NYC for a few weeks, having ended his first contract for Zambian Forge. We have a rough cut of the film as it stands so far, running approximately 80 minutes. It really is like watching a movie to view it now, a major leap forward. It's exciting.

The editing process is going on hold until August. odell has another contract to work. I have other plans..
Geno, from FORGE 2005, has secured a bit of funding for me to return to Zambia this summer. Just enough to cover the plane ticket and a few plates of nShima, but it was the tipping point. I'm headed back.
My plan is to do follow-up interviews with Zezito, Paul, Prudence, Brown, and any other relevant characters. I'm also planning to bring my S16 camera this time around, and to really concentrate on gathering some awesome b-roll. I will continue to follow the process of Angolan Repatriation. If I can arrange a visa, I will hopefully travel with a repatriation convey the whole way into Angola this time around. (the Angolan Embassy in DC does not issue tourist visas, so it's more difficult than one might imagine..)

I depart at the end of May for a brief vacation in London and Paris, then I will continue on to Zambia in mid-June, and return in late July. Returning is another interesting point, as I have decided to not return to San Francisco. I'm not 100% committed to any plan just yet, but I am leaning toward moving to LA. I will make a final decision in July.

FORGEing on..
David