News

Latest News February 2013: Hakaya and Worldview support for THE DREAM OF SHAHRAZAD

Very good news is that THE DREAM OF SHAHRAZAD has received coproduction and funding support from the Hakaya Regional Storytelling Network (funded by the European Union) as well as from the CBA Worldview Fund.  Please see:

News 11 Oct 2012: THE DREAM OF SHAHRAZAD accepted at IDFA Forum

Good news is that THE DREAM OF SHAHRAZAD has been accepted for the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA)’s co-production and co-financing Forum! I will be presenting the film with co-producer Neil Brandt and sales agent Heather Millard. Sections of the cut will be shown in the new work-in-progress section on 21 November, after which there will be individual meetings with broadcasters. The IDFA Forum is one of the world’s most important documentary funding events, and we hope to finally get over the last funding hurdles by presenting the project there. See http://www.idfa.nl/industry/markets-funding/the_forum.aspx

News 30 June 2012: THE DREAM OF SHAHRAZAD wins prize at Sunny Side of the Doc

At a closing press conference on Friday (29 June 2012) at the Sunny Side of the Doc market held in La Rochelle, France, it was announced that THE DREAM OF SHAHRAZAD was awarded the Best Documentary in Progress award.  The film was chosen by a jury of international commissioning editors, distributors and sales agents out of 20 projects in various stages of postproduction which had been selected for the “Docs in Progress” section.  The latter happened for the first time this year as part of the long-standing and prestigious yearly documentary event.

The film, which deals with the legacy of The 1001 (or “Arabian”) Nights in context of recent political events in the Maghreb and Middle East, is being produced by Undercurrent Film & Television and by Fireworx Media, together with French coproducer Mandra Films and Egyptian coproducer Middlewest Films.  It was represented at Sunnyside by director/producer Verster and coproducer Lucas Rosant.

Verster says: “This is a very important and very happily received boost for our film, and it is very affirming that there seems still to be space on international TV platforms for a film such as this which does not fit the normal brackets.”

Both THE DREAM OF SHAHRAZAD and other South African project I AM A MAN (by Mayenzeke Baza) were supported by South Africa’s National Film and Video Foundation, who had a stand at the event.

News 2 June 2012: Filming completed!

We are happy to announce that all filming for THE DREAM OF SHAHRAZAD has finally been completed.

The main Egyptian strand in the film came together in a very moving performance by the El Warsha theatre troupe in Hawamdeyya outside Cairo on Monday night. Ruqqaya Ayman, whose teenage son Ahmed was killed by police during the uprisings in January last year, and whose testimony became the subject of the new “storytelling theatre” developed by El Warsha – and the main focus of the evening – was there with her family, and the event was extremely powerful.

Editing is now ongoing, and delivery is expected in October this year.

News 5 April 2012: Final shoot phase to happen soon…

Francois Verster will be traveling to Egypt in mid-April to complete final filming on THE DREAM OF SHAHRAZAD.  He will be filming various final elements in Cairo, as well as a storytelling festival/conference happening in Alexandria, which will feature film characters Hassan el Geretly, Alia Mossallam and Arfa Abd el Rasool.

News 10 March 2012: Indiegogo campaign launched

We are still looking for funds to complete the film, and as part of our strategy have just launched our indiegogo crowdfunding campaign: please see http://www.indiegogo.com/The-Dream-of-Shahrazad.  If you are keen to contribute to the making of the film, please donate generously and spread the word to friends and colleagues!