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.