Return to Meheba Prep

It's always a kind of controlled chaos at times like this.

I am packing my stuff up for storage.
I am questing for a Zeiss 9.5mm Superspeed to buy. It's difficult, as most people don't want to break up lens sets, and I can't afford a whole set right now. But I want a small wide angle lens for this summer, and renting for 2 months is tough ROI.
odell and I are working up a shot list for the summer.
While Geno has assured me he is purchasing my ticket from London to Lusaka, he hasn't figured out how to actually access the money from the grant he got that is bringing me, so I'm still in limbo for the exact flights.
I'm going to have to deal with an Angolan visa in Zambia. Sigh..
I have about 2 hours worth of S16 film for my A-Minima to shoot this time. I haven't figured out any way to transport it except as a hand carry on, though I'm supposed to hear from a film transport service tomorrow. We'll see.
My Aaton is at Abel Cine Tech being prepped & upgraded for the trip.

In other news..
Last week I completed the submission process for IFP in NYC. IFP is a currated convention geared toward connecting media buyers with filmmakers who either have finished products in need of distribution, or who are in need of finishing funds and distribution (me). They just happen to have an entry category: "Spotlight on Documentary; Rough Cut Lab." That is the category I submitted our - now finalized - 80 minute rough cut to. (I did a polish pass over the entire film after odell left, fixing name plates, adding dates and subtitles, some graphics, and transitions.) I will know by July 23rd if Zambian Forge was accepted, which just happens to be my first full day back in the USA after the trip. I do have to say, VHS is a pain! This submission was the first time I had to generate VHS dubs in about 2 years.

FORGE news..
FORGEing Futures is now slated for delivery 2 days before my departure, which is good, because I owe copies to people in Meheba, even if they don't have DVD players. I submitted it to UNAFF 2005 (United Nations Association Film Festival), and I am looking forward to hearing if it gets accepted.

Brandon, Tom, Kjerstin, and a whole new posse of FORGE volunteers are already at work in Zambia, at a Congolese camp in the Northern part of the country. Tom is holding a DVD we created of sections of the film that are in need of translation, and is going to arrive in Meheba 2-3 weeks prior to me to help get everything roling with translations and begin his own research.
I have to say, now that I know I'm going back, I can't wait to be there shooting. Especially the S16..

I'll post again before I leave.
David