I am thrilled to tell you about some new developments with the Holy Crap! film project. To summarize, the film has recently been refurbished and touched up and we are so thrilled with this new shiny version!!!! Secondly, the new shinier version has just been accepted into its very first film festival!! Thirdly, we will be developing a Kreyol-version of this film hopefully by the end of this year, for release within Haiti....and finally!! I am developing a series of short films by the same name which will explore some of the many different projects around the world which are transforming human waste to become a viable, cheap, accessible and proven component of the search for sustainability.
So Holy Crap! is about to take off! (kinda like a global movement.....)
:)
To see the upgrades to the film click here: www.holycrapthefilm.com
To learn more about all our exciting new developments, read on....
Firstly, thanks to a generous donation offered by Daniel Drasin to do some touch-ups to the film, we are releasing a new, shinier version, available now on our website. We added a little intro to the film which I think really ties it together well, and otherwise Dan (with lots of great input from Tamara Gurbis, the film's Director of Photography; thank you Tamara!!) did a lot of color corrections and audio refinements that I, as a budding filmmaker, didn't know how to appreciate until after the fact. And having run out of money long before the final edits took place, I couldn't really afford to get the full post-production we needed prior to the film's release. So please let us know if you like the modifications and the new intro to the film - I'm thrilled with it!!! And thank you so much to Daniel Drasin for all his many years of experience, his incredible patience in bringing me up to speed and into the digital world, and for believing in this project so much to invest his time into making this film shine. Major kudos to you my friend.....
Secondly, we are thrilled to announce that Holy Crap! has been accepted into our first, full-fledged international film festival!!! The Tallgrass Film Festival, located in Wichita, KS, will be screening Holy Crap! in their short film category among many other films. As this is my hometown I must say I am quite thrilled about it. www.tallgrassfilmfest.com
Thirdly, we are beginning to fundraise for the next and final edit at this time with the footage from our trip to Haiti last year -- a Kreyol-version of the film for release within Haiti. This is something that we are making to be a versatile tool for SOIL to use in schools, communities, for staff members and families and to just explain the concept of ecological sanitation, how it works, and why it is 1000x better than the "system" now in place throughout Haiti, which has resulted in wide-spread public health epidemics. If any of you have the energy or interest in helping with these fundraising efforts please do not hesitate to contact me at: jenniferbenorden@gmail.com
And FINALLY! the Holy Crap! project is beginning to grow in scope, as we are in the process of developing a series by the same name. This series will be a number of similar, short films which feature the work of other organizations and townships around the world that are transforming human waste into a viable resource.
Here are some of the things we are considering featuring in our series:
Cars (called "Bio Bugs") running on methane gas created from raw sewage in Bristol, England. What else is happening with methane gas in other parts of the world? Are other people trying this out?
One part of the series will feature and check on the progress of some of the more portable inventions that are coming to the fore, such as "PeePoo" bags which are safely biodegradable and the Gardiner CH4 - which is like a portable rolling suitcase but is actually a composting toilet!
Next will be a two-part installation that will investigate how ecological sanitation would impact communities within the United States. I want to query local governments about regulations to this type of off-the-grid infrastructure, and follow a citizen through the process of creating one in their yard or on their property. How would this type of sanitation impact facilities like hospitals, universities, and municipalities?
Olympic Forest Park, Beijing, China -- in 2007 China incorporated ecological sanitation (such as SOIL uses in Haiti) into their giant national park. We want to go there and see how the project has progressed since then.
There are many more exciting ecological sanitation projects happening around the world and I would like to keep a pulse on it, as I do believe that it is the only and obvious choice for sustainable sanitation in a time when water resources are limited, human beings are losing their lives because of poor sanitation, and billions of men, women and children are suffering from water-borne illness.
If you have any interest in helping me to develop this series, please do not hesitate to contact me at jenniferbenorden@gmail.com.
Finally, Holy Crap! is thrilled that we are still being featured on the National Geographic's website! Check us out there and don't forget to keep in touch with SOIL at www.oursoil.org.
So many of you have been staunch supporters of my work with this film and of SOIL's work in Haiti and I can't thank you enough for all the ways you believe in me and in this project. I could never have done it without you.
Wishing you all a lovely autumn,
Jenny
Producer/Director, Holy Crap!
www.holycrapthefilm.com
