As we are living in an uncertain political and environmental climate, I feel compelled to share some inspiring projects I have been lucky to work on over the last month. The first one, is a feature documentary from Greek director Andreas Dermanis called Lost Youth, filmed over a period of six months at the Greek-Turkish and Serbian border, about young Afghan men refugees and their struggle to keep their dream alive, chasing a better life at the risk of becoming part of Athen’s underworld.
In Athens they must choose between enrolling in the asylum program or continuing their journey north of the border to more affluent EU nations. It is a compelling and moving documentary really worth a watch.
The second highlight was ‘Choker’, a short environmental film directed by Orson Cornick in collaboration with 3D animation company Spider Eyes Productions.
The film has a certain brutality to it, yet beautifully crafted and poetic. The look is vintage, with strong contrast and the visuals are filled with metaphors, whilst the overall palette used is there to convey menacing and powerful environmental messages; there is no time left, take action.
Watch this space for more on Choker.
This last inspirational project was an online campaign to promote the new ethical brand VOTCH in a series of short promotional films. VOTCH is a UK vegan watch company founded by Laura, an inspiring lady who after being struck down by a skin condition called Topical Steroid Withdrawal and suffering years of recovery decided to learn about animal welfare and the leather industry.
Seeing the suffering that animals endured simply for fashion and having felt the pain of losing her own skin, Laura vowed to never wear the skin of another being. A truly inspiring lady and a wonderful ethical company.
