Join us and help keep the spirit of independent film-making alive. Please note, if you are outside the UK, you can give in your own currency and the site will adjust your gift into UK £.
ScreenStation began as a collective organisation, in a small room in the Bread & Roses pub in Clapham, London in January 2000.
Now entering our teens in 2013, we want to build our collective even further. We are asking friends and supporters old and new to join us in creating an international membership base to support and develop our work. Times have changed, but our ethos remains the same; to curate, create and collaborate with people who share our passion for promoting and producing independent film.
Our special interests in Africa, music and activism have been at the core of our work, but we're open to suggestions and we'd love you to get involved wherever you are in the world. Everyone is welcome.
We need help right now to make sure that we can complete the update to Bi Kidude's story while she is still alive. And having re-started Mwalimu Express last year, we want to keep it free, and spread the events around the country, and around the world.
At our very first screening, we launched a membership scheme with people paying £2 to join the collective. We've now set membership at £3, which you can pay in whatever currency you choose.
So what does being a member mean now?
Your membership subscription will help us to continue our work. We're still aiming to do what we've done in the past, only learning from mistakes made along the way, and trying to share work and rewards equally. Specifically, we want to...
1. continue to collaborate with independent film-makers in the UK and around the world.
2. continue our screenings of some of the best African films to our audience at Mwalimu Express, our free family music and film adventure currenlty at London's Rich Mix, and touring this summer.
3. cover some of the core costs which keep the ScreenStation platform runnning (website, electricity, phone bills) and make sure you all know what is going on.
If you like the sound of it, please do join us. You will be the first to hear about our ongoing productions, screenings and events, and you'll also be allowed to vote at the AGM. We're working out a plan so that everyone can contribute, wherever they are. Once we know how the campaign has gone, we will make a plan for a special meeting in May 2013. We're already planning some exciting work in South Africa with Love Freedom, and more NDIYINDODA: I AM A MAN action later in the year. And the picture of Bi Kidude in the crash helmet was taken on our return to Zanzibar where we handed over last year's royalties to Bi Kidude, and shot some great new footage which now needs translating and editing for the new version.
Please do share this with anybody who may not have heard about it. All best to you all
Andy
ps - if you don't want the repsonsibility of being a member but you do want to help, please choose to pre-order the new film, or just make a donation. Thanks!
Dear All
Thanks so much for ALL your contributions over the past few weeks, especially to all of you who've come on board in the past few days to help us reach the target.
I'll be in touch more soon to let you know what we're planning to do next.
Your extra treat as promised is to have the password to watch AS OLD AS MY TONGUE online if you haven't already.
You need to go to https://vimeo.com/59044494
And the password is 'drinksmokesing'
If you need to know anything else, please don't hesitate to ask.
All the very best to everyone - members, life members and early adopters of the new film!
Andy
Dear all
You are receiving this update as you have already contributed to our crowd-funding campaign. I'm happy that we've done ok so far, though over the last few weeks, due to a family bereavement, I've not been able to do so much in sending out reminders.
This week I'll be doing more on facebook and email so if you do feel that you're able to help any more, then please do. I know that you've already helped by donating though, so please don't feel obliged.
As a wee carrot for everybody, I've uploaded the whole of As Old As My Tongue to vimeo. There's a password which let's you watch the whole film. I can tell you what it is, but if you know anybody else who'd like to see the film online one evening, please direct them to the sponsume site where if they contribute, I'll send them the password personally.
But for you good folk, I'll tell you now - the password is 'drinksmokesing' the immortal life advice from Bi Kidude herself. You can find the video at https://vimeo.com/59044494
Bi Kidude also recommends only wearing shoes when absolutely necessary - which sadly these days in Newcastle, is every day - unlike in Zanzibar!
Thanks all - hope this email finds you well and that I'll be able to be in touch at the end of the campaign with more good news.
Till soon
Andy
www.facebook.com/screenstation
Thanks to everybody who has contirubted so far, a great start with £250 in the first 3 days.
The next screening in London is going to be the wonderful Manuscripts of Timbuktu, with music from Modou Touré and Ramon Goose - do get along if you can.
http://www.richmix.org.uk/whats-on/event/mwalimu-express-copy/
And the team have arrived in Zanzibar to prepare for filming the update to As Old As My Tongue over the next 10 days. To mark 10 years since we began filming, we'll be uploading some extracts from the film, starting with a twinkling performance of Alalminadura, on board the good dhow Asraa.
http://www.vimeo.com/screenstation/alalminadura
More news soon, thanks again to all
Andy
