Our latest updates!

Check out our latest updates as we continue through the post-production phase of Vendemmia!

Learn a little more about our most recent shoot - everything from the story behind the unique t-shirts we're wearing in our set photos, to what it was like to drive our Fiat 500 through the hills of the Cinque Terre.

Vendemmia Behind The Scenes

We are BACK and ready to roll!!!!

Two weeks of long shooting days, five days of letlag recovery, and we are BACK and ready to roll!

Check out our update, and stay tuned for more updates as we move into the editing phase!

Grazie Mille!!! We are back!

WE DID IT!!!!

With your help, we did! Our kickstarter campaign finished at midnight last night having more than DOUBLED our bare-bones goal and exceeding even our $4500 goal... a good thing, since our schedule for shooting dates has increased the return trip from an originally anticipated 8 shooting days to a full 12 shooting days, incurring more costs.

From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you. Your credit cards were charged today, and so I know that today the sacrifice you are making is more "real" - it's not just a "pledge" anymore... it's a real donation of real money, and please know that we do not underestimate the value of that or take it lightly.

We will not let you down. We will finish this film and get it out there so that everyone can see the precious value of the Cinque Terre cultures and traditions, and the value of ensuring ecotourism around the world to help sustain other cultures and traditions.

Now, let's go make a movie!!!!

Sharon & Krista

So what DOES the wine, Sciacchetrà, taste like?!?

Watch the tasting video to find out, and contact us with questions!

Sciacchetrà Tasting Video

Donate to the film and receive a 4-night stay in a Tuscan villa!

No joke! We are really offering a four-night stay in a Tuscan villa in exchange for a donation to the film, at less than the actual villa cost!

Special thanks to James Martin at about.com for including this amazing deal as one of his article features!

Support a Film, Stay in Tuscany!

Sharon & Krista

Incredible support for our last week of fundraising!

The outpouring of support online has been tremendous, and as we move into our final week of fundraising, still needing about $1,000, we are particularly thrilled to be the "Video Spotlight" for The Travel World!

The Travel World Video Spotlight: The Documentary Vendemmia

Please visit our Kickstarter page to support in whatever way you can. Every little bit helps!

The Documentary Film Vendemmia Kickstarter Campaign

From the bottom of our hearts, GRAZIE MILLE,

Sharon & Krista

First goal reached, striving for the next!

Two days ago, after a flurry of early morning activity which included some of the most generous donations we've seen yet, we reached our first goal on Kickstarter to help us return to the Cinque Terre to finish filming.

Our next goal is to exceed the marker we established and reach our true goal of $4500, which will cover the Kickstarter and credit card deduction of 10% off what we raised, and provide us with that last plane ticket and the equipment rentals we need to shoot.

Support has come from far and wide, and we are grateful to all those who have been thoughtful enough to include us in their publications.

Our special thanks to Italy Magazine for this thoughtful article:

Italy Magazine: Support Vendemmia, The Documentary Film

We are grateful for everyone's help and support!

Sharon & Krista

Whose "Place"?.... Whose Choice?.... Who Decides?

One of the great things about re-starting this Kickstarter campaign has been to connect with some amazing people who share the same love of and concern for the Cinque Terre, and sustainable tourism, as we do.

This morning I had the pleasure of connecting with Anna Pollock, creator of the blog site Conscious Travel and passionate supporter of sustainable, locally focused travel.

Her insights into the Cinque Terre are particularly fascinating, since her first trip there was in 1969, far before it was a hot tourist spot and when the villages were in a state of poverty and "dilapidation." Check it out:

Whose Place is it Anyway?

More importantly, her blog poses the questions we seek to explore fully in our film. Questions which challenge our roles in "helping" the Cinque Terre or "supporting" the Cinque Terre, and other places like it, in their quest for a sustainable future. And even within the Cinque Terre, with political focus and goals so divided, who gets to decide for the community what should happen next and how?

It's an incredibly complicated issue, and the entire purpose behind our film.

Definitely something to think about!

Sharon & Krista
Visit the Kickstarter campaign to finish Vendemmia!

Swimming pools or vineyard terraces?

We just heard from our friends in the Cinque Terre the other day, emailing to give us an update on the restoration efforts after the massive landslides and floodings which crippled the towns of Vernazza and Monterosso.

The towns are bouncing back with enthusiasm and determination, and they WILL be open for the 2012 tourist season! The best way to support these communities is to book your vacation for 2012 and spend some time with these extraordinary folks. Let the re-opened restaurants serve you a great meal, tour the vineyard hillsides, and pop open a bottle of Sciacchetrà purchased straight from one of the winemakers in town.

But the other thing you can do is to support the efforts for sustainable tourism and environmental preservation in the area. A recent investigation was opened to question whether or not the construction and building now taking place in the hills above the area contributed in any way to the massive landslides.

Investigation into Cinque Terre Flooding
 
Ripping down centuries old natural barriers to build (maybe, for example, hotels or swimming pools) may have consequences we don't really consider until it's too late.

This is the essence of sustainable tourism- balancing what is needed to encourage the local tourist economy while still preserving the natural ecosystem of the area, which for thousands of years let Mother Nature determine what was needed where and when.

And this balance, and the challenge that comes with it for the citizens, is the focus of our film:

Kickstarter: Vendemmia A Documentary Film

Support the film, and support sustainable tourism in the Cinque Terre.

Sharon & Krista

From Europe to Australia to home....

What an incredible first few days of 2012 it's been. We are pleased to announce the re-launch of our Kickstarter campaign, a campaign which has in only one week inspired 23 backers from here in the United States, in Italy, in the UK, and even as far as Australia!

We've raised over 50% of our goal, but we still have a long way to go, and 27 days left.

Support the documentary and help us finish this film in time to publicize the Cinque Terre's readiness for the 2012 season:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1965817586/vendemmia-a-documentary-film

Even just an $8 donation helps us put a gallon of gas in the rental car, and everyone who donates will have a special thank you in the film credits.

Happy New Year everyone!

Sharon & Krista 

"Cazzo" not always such a bad thing...

People keep asking us what’s going on with our documentary. Well…we thought we were done, but it turns out we’re not. We started with a story about wine called “Sciacchetra.” Then someone stole it. The story AND the title. But this was good. The real story turned out to be far more interesting. And then…the interesting people in our interesting story got arrested – two weeks after we wrapped filming. As the Italians would say, CAZZO! But…it turns out, a little “cazzo” can really spice up your story. We started with wine, and we ended up with Italian politics, cultural survival, and hordes of American tourists with their fanny packs and Rick Steves books trampling all over this ancient territory. And Hilton, McDonalds and Starbucks waiting with open checkbooks. It’s complicated. And it’s a whole new documentary. Check out our Kickstarter page:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1965817586/vendemmia-a-documentary-film 

VENDEMMIA - ven⋅dem⋅mia \ ven-dém-mia \ (Italian)

VENDEMMIA
ven⋅dem⋅mia \ ven-dém-mia \ (Italian)
The harvesting of grapes for the production of wine

ven⋅dem⋅mia \ ven-dém-mia \ (Italian)
When the grape's life ends and the transformation of its new life begins

You may have noticed by the masthead of our website that the name of our film has changed from “Sciacchtrà” to “Vendemmia”. As this story has evolved, so has the message we want to communicate through its telling.

Two Chicks and A Camera

Well, really two chicks and two cameras (four if you count our little Sony HC9s), but we thought “two chicks and a camera” sounded catchier.

As we get ready to shoot the final footage for our film, we can’t help but reflect on the journey leading up to this point. We started from scratch on this project. We had NO cameras, no crew, virtually no money, and no funding options. But, what we did have was a mutual love and passion for storytelling, a real interest in the preservation of the culture and heritage of the people of the Cinque Terre, and, a lot of perseverance and determination to finish this film and bring this story to light.

He Who Has Friends

It’s the holiday season, which in my family means replaying It’s a Wonderful Life, that Christmas classic with Jimmy Stewart.

I used to teach the short story on which its based, way back in my middle-school classroom days. It’s interesting to me that if I refer to "The Greatest Gift,” by Philip Van Doren Stern, most folks don’t realize I’m talking about the story on which the movie is based, but if I say “No man is a failure who has friends,” every single person in the room will know exactly what movie the quote comes from.

Breaking Out of The Zone

I took a break from editing this morning to go for a quick run. I get some of my best ideas while running – my brain seems to recharge itself when I get myself into that zone. On my way back, I ran over a little bridge on a busy highway –

What Did He Say...?

… because we didn’t know. We really didn’t. It was all in Italian, it was fast, and it was an hour-long interview.

Editing a documentary film project in a language you don’t speak is pretty ambitious. Even more insane is to self-fund that project and to travel to a foreign country to complete that documentary… in the language you don’t speak. As one dear filmmaking friend of mine expressed it more succinctly, it’s “bloody insane.”

Forza

We’ve seen the people of the Cinque Terre use the word “forza” – or “strength” – quite a bit over the past weeks. They use it with a definitive kind of solidarity that punctuates the word even more.

But this is nothing new – “forza” has been a theme with the people of the Cinque Terre for well over 1000 years in their struggle to carve a lasting way of life out of this rugged, spectacular landscape.

More Than The Grape

It's been almost two weeks since our return, and today we're editing and reviewing photos for the new photo gallery which will be added to the website next week.


This is tons of fun - we're seeing shots of ourselves perched atop rather dangerous-looking vineyard slopes and scenery that takes your breath away. We're also seeing the faces of our dear friends in the Cinque Terre, both those who worked with us on this project, and those who have become the subjects of the film.

Gambe Grande!

As I laced up my shoes and set out this morning for a five mile run over this beautiful bridge not far from my house, I thought about whether I should pack my running shoes for our Italy shoot this time. I took my running shoes with me on our last trip to the Cinque Terre. While we were there the last time, I discovered a beautiful bridge I kept eyeing as a great potential running route. But between our very tight schedule and all the wine research (yes, I said research! We are doing a film on a traditional winemaking culture, remember?), I never did go for a run. And I didn’t have to. The residents of the Cinque Terre are all in fantastic shape. One local man joked with us about how everyone who lives there has “gambe grande,” or “great legs.”
Here’s why they all have such great legs:

Coffee To Stay

I like my coffee to go. So does Krista.

Consuming coffee at work, while starting the workday, has become a ritual for many Americans, and so it is with us. We’ll each order a tall latte and carry it with us to the day’s location. By the time the real work begins, we’re done and probably ready for another.

Not so in the Cinque Terre.