Ben Hammond was an ordinary school teacher, but this year he is setting out to accomplish something extraordinary: a world record for the longest dance ever. 125 hours, five days, with no sleep. Ben’s ‘Free to Dance’ journey will see him dancing the London Marathon, non-stop through the Glastonbury Festival and every step from John O'Groats to Lands End. He will test his fitness, nerve and sanity to the limit, but the question on everyone’s lips is why?
The roots of this inspired year of action lie far away and deep in the jungles along the Thai-Burma border. Five years ago Ben had a life-changing experience teaching in the Mae La Oon refugee camp, experiencing first-hand the poverty of opportunity facing the refugees from Burma. Trapped, they're neither free to return to their homes, or enter the world beyond the camp. Overall 160,000 displaced refugees live in uncertainty, destitution and isolation in border camps, driven from their homeland by 60 years of continuous civil war, human rights abuses and economic stagnation.
Having given up his job and flat, Ben is now setting up 'Learn Burma', a charity dedicated to opening young people’s eyes to Burma and inspiring a new generation to make a difference to the country. 'Free to Dance' is his one-year make-or-break attempt to raise the funds and awareness needed to make 'Learn Burma' happen. This is a story of what can be achieved if you’re willing put your own life on hold for the plight of others who are not (yet) free to dance too.
The film:
This essential chapter of Ben’s journey will focus on his emotional and personal pilgrimage back to the camp where it all began, revisiting and dancing with friends five years on, and will explore the inspirational stories of those for whom freedom is just a word. Ben will also try to make contact with the family of his friend Oo Nie Kie, the young Burmese teacher whose death, in striving for freedom for her people, inspired Ben’s action. What will the refugees make of Ben’s return and his bold and eccentric Free to Dance campaign to help bring their story to the world?
As well as comprising a standalone documentary, this film will be used to help secure funding for a feature-length documentary charting the full Free to Dance year.
Without your support, we won’t be able to set the wheels in motion.
The Money:
Ben will be paying his own way to Mae La Oon. But with £1000 filmmaker Nick Street will be able to join him and document this incredible journey.
The owner of this project has not made any updates yet. FR
