HAPPY RAIN, good news from Bangladesh!

Take part in a documentary film project where rain brings wealth!

Project visual HAPPY RAIN, good news from Bangladesh!
Successful
41
Contributions
06/15/2015
End date
€5,300
Out of €5,000
106 %

HAPPY RAIN, good news from Bangladesh!

<p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> HAPPY RAIN, GOOD NEWS FROM BANGLADESH!</p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="20111121-_dsc6478-1428489088" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/183704/20111121-_DSC6478-1428489088.jpg"></p> <p>  </p> <p> Take part in a documentary film project where rain brings wealth!</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>A 52-minute film</strong></p> <p> <strong>directed by Isabelle Antunès</strong></p> <p> <strong>produced by Les Poissons Volants – Sophie Goupil</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> Give thousands of Bangladeshi farmers a chance to show the world that it’s possible to overcome environmental problems by thinking up collective and sustainable solutions.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>THE MOVIE</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> The movie takes place in Bangladesh, a small-waterlogged country encircled by India, and one of the most densely populated countries in the world.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="Carte-1428490859" height="349" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/183724/carte-1428490859.jpg" width="290"></p> <p>  </p> <p> Many films about Bangladesh merely illustrate the poverty and the natural and man-made disasters suffered by this country, and continue feeding the image of Bangladesh being a “lost cause”. This image was constructed in the beginning of the 1970s and has been instilled ever since, as if nothing has changed. Even though it is true that it has undergone devastating floods and that each year, almost three quarters of the country is underwater for 4 or 5 months, Bangladesh has since come a long way by ensuring its food security. This formidable turnaround has been possible due to the inventiveness and creativity of the population as well as succeeding governments considerably relying on local initiatives, awarding prizes each year to the most promising out of them, using their models and encouraging efforts through television exposure. This project will work on re-establishing this truth and showing a different image of this country.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>The story we will tell is a striking example of the grassroots initiatives active in Bangladesh today.</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>IN DAUDKANDI IN THE COMILLA REGION, IN THE SOUTH EAST OF THE COUNTRY,  LARGE FLOOD PLAINS</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> During the monsoon season, an immense flooded plain unveils scattered villages that are like islets in the middle of the sea. During 5 months of the year, from June to October, the farmers cannot cultivate their land. They wait, helpless, looking at the water hyacinths covering the horizon. In November, as soon as the water level descends, they gather by hand the heavy green and mauve-flecked vegetal cover in order to prepare the soil and plant paddy seedlings. A laborious task that takes time and costs money.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>One day, the landowners of this region stopped watching the rain falling and decided to take action and surmount the obstacles, and it’s a success!  </strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="20111121-_dsc6326-1428490953" height="326" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/183729/20111121-_DSC6326-1428490953.jpg" width="491"></p> <p> <img alt="Hr_-_image_1-1428490928" height="277" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/183728/HR_-_image_1-1428490928.jpg" width="493"></p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>DISCOVERING A BLESSING IN DISGUISE: RAIN</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> This is the story of <strong>5000 Muslim and Hindu farmers </strong>who, accompanied by Morshed, a persevering visionary-entrepreneur, decided to transform rain into a sacred resource. They set up a fish farm in the rice paddies by pooling their meagre savings and opening up their resources to families without land. They could hence set up infrastructures linking up their villages, enabling the capture and control of large stretches of water.</p> <p>  </p> <p> Over the span of 15 years, they have developed a true fishing business that is reputed and profitable, created jobs, reduced the harsh working conditions and the time involved in preparing the earth, increased the rice yield, set up several private schools for their children and developed a programme aiming to ensure the financial independence of the most vulnerable landless women.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>Here they are farmers and pisciculturists. Over the course of the seasons, it is the discovery of a formerly hostile territory that is transformed into a great source of wealth.</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> Here, the environment is not portrayed as being independent of humans, a divine species to be venerated or left to destiny.  The best way of appreciating the environment is to admit that we are part of it, that it makes up our life surroundings, to observe it in order to understand, reflect on and spot opportunities, then take the time to find respectful solutions that in the process continues to teach us about ourselves.</p> <p>  </p> <p> Far from a pessimistic and alarmist vision of the world, Happy Rain shows that it is possible to create the resources and riches from what one has and to do well on it, that development is not predetermined but constantly changing and evolving, forcing us to be constantly alert and that a bright future depends on human intelligence, on cooperation and on community motivation, with a little bit of wisdom thrown in.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="Hr_-_image_4-1428491038" height="270" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/183731/HR_-_image_4-1428491038.jpg" width="481"></p> <p> <img alt="Hr_-_image_3-1428491083" height="269" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/183732/HR_-_image_3-1428491083.jpg" width="481"></p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>THE MOVIE TODAY</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> The documentary film economy is such that, despite the implication of broadcasters and the assistance of public institutions that support audiovisual projects, the production company LES POISSONS VOLANTS is not in a position to finance the entirety of this project.</p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>WHO ARE WE?</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> Producer Sophie Goupil founded <strong>LES POISSONS VOLANTS</strong> in 1989. The company prioritised development, production, publishing and distribution of creative documentaries, full-length feature films, short films and video artists in France and abroad. She is constantly looking to go beyond set genres, conventions and expectations by scouring the unconventional paths in search of unique and enthralling subjects. In tune with this constantly evolving world, the publishing mosaic that makes up Poissons Volants, evolves itself in the course of its films.</p> <p>  </p> <p> Discover all our films on our website: <a href="http://www.poissonsvolants.com">www.poissonsvolants.com</a></p> <p>  </p> <p> For this new project we are accompanying the director <strong>ISABELLE ANTUNES</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> Following a PhD thesis in cultural geography on the comparative study of two fishing communities located on the east and west of the Indonesian Archipelago, she worked for more than 15 years in the world of foreign aid and development in Asia-Pacific (Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and New Caledonia) and in Africa (Senegal, The Ivory Coast, Morocco and Botswana). Alongside her role in these positions, the filmed image has remained her preferred tool to communicate and to help advance development. After surpassing her thesis with a 52’ Mainstream film « Rêve de pêche en Indonésie »  <i>Dreams of fishing in Indonesia, </i>broadcast on France 2, France 3, La Cinq, RFO and TV5 Monde, she signed “ La tomate au Sénégal, celle qu’on s’arrache » <i>The Lady in red: tomatoes in Senegal, a success story,  </i>a 52’ formidable story of the tomato industry in Senegal, a successful partnership that brought on 14 000 producers and a French processing company, broadcast  on  French and Ouest-African TV and selected at the Vues d’Afrique  festival in Montreal. The film has had the effect of giving a positive image of Africa and urging the youth to return to work on the lands, but also encouraging the government to protect the industry and the farmers against crushing importation businesses.</p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>LONG MONTHS OF WORK DONE ALREADY</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> <i>Happy Rain, de bonnes nouvelles du Bangladesh (Happy Rain, good news from Bangladesh) </i>transports us through a country rarely shown on French screens and usually portrayed negatively across the world.</p> <p>  </p> <p> The whole team are bursting with motivation to ensure this stunning, energy-filled film exists.</p> <p>  </p> <p> Following the writing, its first location scouting/recce and the rewriting of the film, the director took her team for the first shooting in December 2014, as the harvesting and sales of fish are in full swing at this time of year, thus the farmers too are seething with excitement and activity.  It is thanks to these steps already taken that we can offer you a generous overview with sublime images in the presentation teaser.</p> <p>  </p> <p> In order to capture the key aspects of our characters’ actions and seasonal changes, the colours and the atmospheres, the realisation of the film calls for several shoots at key moments of the year.</p> <p>  </p> <p> A new shoot is planned for the end of April, time is marching on! Plus a follow up in August.</p> <p>  </p> <p> In coproduction with France O, the film should be finished before the United Nations Climate Change Conference in December 2015, held in Paris. This is a crucial event, the objective being to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement to maintain the global temperature under 2°C.</p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>The film’s budget is very tight and it is becoming increasingly difficult to imagine finishing the film under the best conditions possible, as well as financing the film score.</strong></p> <p>  </p>

Allocation of funds

<p> <strong>WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>FINANCE A PART OF THE LAST SHOOTING - 1 600 euros</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> The team, Isabelle, the director, Guillaume the chief cameraman, and Jean-Luc the sound engineer leaves to Bangladesh to finalize the movie for another two shootings.</p> <p>  </p> <p> The shots will be taken in the Daudkandi region at two different times of the year:</p> <p> <strong>At the end of April </strong>when the farmers begin to harvest rice, a time when only a trained eye can differentiate the villages from one another in the plain.</p> <p> <strong>Towards the end of August,</strong> when the flood level is at its highest, giving all the villages a completely different look. It is at this exact moment that viewed from above, the fish farming villages stand out because of gigantic bodies of pale water in the middle of a green vegetal carpet speckled with mauve water hyacinths that stretch out as far as the eye can see. At this time of year it is possible to film the rain and hear the personal accounts of the active villagers, entrepreneurs and farmers and those that are affected by the climate.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>The gross cost for one week of shooting in Bangladesh is 14 000 euros (salaries, visas, equipment, journeys, accommodations…)</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>For this last shooting, we miss another 1 600 euros to:</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> -       Finance the purchase of two plane tickets from Paris to Bangladesh for Guillaume and Jean-Luc. A round trip for two costs 1 600 euros (with overweight luggage).</p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p>  <img alt="Hr_-_image_5-1428491252" height="294" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/183734/HR_-_image_5-1428491252.jpg" width="522"></p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>FINANCE THE CREATION OF ANIMATED MAPS – 1 200 euros</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> To understand the various territories and the changes which affect them, and to offer an artistic and original touch to the film, we wish to work with a designer who will create maps of Bangladesh. These maps will then be animated by a computer graphic designer.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>We need you to:</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> - Finance the work of the designer</p> <p> - Finance the computer graphic designer</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>A total amount of 1 200 euros</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>FINANCE AN ORIGINAL FILM SCORE, A MIX OF TRADITIONAL AND CONTEMPORARY MUSIC - 2 200 euros</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> It’s APURBA MUSTAFA, a very young Bangladesh composer and singer who accepted to compose the music for the film. It is such a great opportunity to be able to construct this film with him and we really need your help to make this possible by funding his creation.</p> <p>  </p> <p> Apurba Mustafa was born in 1987 in Chittagong, Bangladesh. To begin with his mother trained him to sing, he was then initiated from the age of 8 to classical Indian chanting by one of the most renowned teachers in Chittagong, Ustad Mihir Lala. At 16, he won a national singing competition and began to learn French at the Alliance Française.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="Profile-1428491390" height="348" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/183742/profile-1428491390.JPG" width="328"></p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>WORKING WITH THE MUSICIAN, THE DIRECTOR TELLS YOU ABOUT IT:</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> « I met Apurba in Dhaka, through the Alliance Francaise, first of all he was introduced as a translator, at the time I didn’t know that he was also a musician. It was a pleasant surprise! I like his demeanour and sensitivity, that through his music, he shares the best of Bangladesh but also of the West. His music reveals another facet of development where cultures are like sponges taking the best of the different worlds that meet, in continuous evolution.  </p> <p> This is how I had the idea to ask him to write the film music mixing traditional music with chants and contemporary music. I would like him to sing in Bangla and in English.</p> <p> I envisage his music interpreting the change of season, and how this change affects the farmers, so that this dimension becomes even clearer for the spectator. I would also like it to reveal the changes in the villages that were organised in fish farms through an amalgamation of genres.”</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>We need you to: </strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> Finance the musician work but also his travels and accommodation expenses to come and work with the director during the editing.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>A total amount of 2 200 euros.</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>And if the collection exceeds the expected amount, we can offer an additional material assistance to schools in the villages where we shoot, but also to all the characters and farmers who participated in this beautiful project with us.</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> Your help will allow us see this adventure through, right to the end!</p> <p> If you recognize the value of this project, share it and spread the word!</p> <p>  </p> <p> Follow us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Les-Poissons-Volants/380901448594836?fref=ts" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and on our <a href="http://www.poissonsvolants.com/" target="_blank">website</a>!</p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>THANKS A MILLION!</strong></p>

Rewards

€10

  • 2 contributions
Merci! Votre nom apparaîtra dans les remerciements sur le site internet de la production. Thank you! Your name will appear in the thanks on the production company’s website.

€25

  • 17 contributions
Merci! Vous recevrez un DVD du film après diffusion + contrepartie précédente Thank you! You will receive a DVD of the film following its diffusion on the French channel France O. + Previous compensation

€50

  • 6 contributions
Merci! L’équipe vous ramènera un petit cadeau souvenir du Bangladesh. + contreparties précédentes Thank you! The team will give you a little souvenir of Bangladesh. + Previous compensation

€75

  • 1 contribution
Merci! Votre nom apparaîtra dans les remerciements au générique de fin et vous recevrez un paquet de riz du Bangladesh + contreparties précédentes. Thank you! Your name will appear in the thanks in the film credits and you will receive a packet of Bangladesh rice. + Previous compensation

€100

  • 5 contributions
Merci! L’équipe vous ramènera une magnifique gamcha (étole) colorée du Bangladesh + contreparties précédentes. Thank you! The team will bring you back a magnificent multicoloured Bangladesh gamcha) wrap. + Previous compensation

€250

  • 3 contributions
Merci! Vous recevrez 5 copies DVD du film à offrir autour de vous. + contreparties précédentes Thank you! You will receive 5 DVDs of the film to give out to whom you please. + Previous compensation

€500

Merci! Vous serez invité à passer une journée dans les locaux de montage du film à Paris (frais de transports non inclus). + contreparties précédentes Thank you! You will be invited to spend the day in the film’s editing rooms in Paris (transport costs excluded). + Previous compensation

€750

Merci! Vous serez invité au pot de fin de montage avec toute l’équipe à Paris (frais de transports non inclus). + contreparties précédentes Thank you! You will be invited to the post-editing drinks party with the whole team in Paris (transport costs excluded) + Previous compensation

€1,000

Merci! La production vous offre les droits de diffusion du film pour une projection en présence de la réalisatrice. + contreparties précédentes Thank you! The production company will offer you the broadcasting rights of the film for a projection in the director’s presence. + Previous compensation

€2,500

Merci! Votre nom ou celui de votre société crédité au générique du film avec les partenaires de production ("avec le soutien solidaire de..."). + contreparties précédentes Thank you! Your name, or that of your business will be in the credits of the film with the production partners (with the support of… ) + Previous compensation

Make a donation

Give what I want