Hi Catharina – I have just returned from two weeks’ annual leave to find your order! I will get a DVD on its way to you at the earliest opportunity. If you have a pressing deadline please let me know.
Kind regards,
Lyn Collie
Producer, There Once was an Island
Hi Lyn, thanks for letting me know the reason for the delay. I want to share the There once was an Island in the frame of an art project, Talking Waters. Is there any other possibility, like streaming?
Nordiska Akvarellmuséet has by the way a piece of art work, 40 meter text in the bridge around the building, situated by the sea boarder on the Swedish west coast? It was made by the Swedish artist Gunilla Hansson and you can see it here: https://gunillahansson.se/offentliga arbeten/bryggtext, akvarellmuseet, skärhamn It says: Singing people has to leave sinking island.
It would be wonderful to get the film in any form to show during the time for our exhibition.
https://kkv-b.se/ will host the exhibition.
Kindest
Catharina Göransson
Hi Catharina – thanks very much for your reply.
I’ve asked our UK distributor if they might be able to send a DVD to you and am waiting on the answer. We can also arrange a streaming option. However, for a public screening, you typically need a license on top of the cost of the DVD. We usually charge US$150 for this.
Can you let me know more about your screening? I understand that you were probably not anticipating the need for licensing, so we will try to work with you to find a solution.
Kind regards,
Lyn
Hi Lyn, this will be super! The screening will take place on the last day for our exhibition, Sunday 8th of oct. I include Markus above to make sure that the link comes to the right adress, as he will take technical care of the screening.
I really am looking forward to this. The more we can create an atmosphere of being together in this the better.
Kindest
Catharina
Hi Catharina – that is absolutely fine.
I’ll post the DVD to you this week but to ensure you have something to screen I can share a private Vimeo link.
What date will the screening be?
It would be great to get an idea of the response to the film if you have time.
Kindest
Lyn
Hi Lyn, the screening went very well. We had a break in the middle of the film because we needed coffee, the room was a little bit cold because there was problem with the heating. But no problem with the focus and concentration.
We were about twenty and all of us deeply moved. We spoke from our hearts afterwards.
What a marvelous film. The inhabitants came close, their fate to know when it is time to leave and move to an unknown place and an insecure future and how it feels to leave your culture behind.
I feel grateful that we could share the film as a part of the finissage of the exhibition Talking Waters, a part of Gothenburg Biennal of Contemporary Art Extended.
We all felt deep gratitude and love for your team. You really made us identify with or at least come close to the trauma. There once was an island is a beautiful film of beautiful people and their pain and protests and it deserves to be seen again and again, all over the world.
Please bring our warm thanks and blessings further to Briar March!
With love and warmth from Bohuslän, by the sea, at the Swedish Westcoast. From a local village where we now preserve the inspiration and courage transferred from the people we got to know. Thank you.
All the best!
Catharina
Catharina – thank you so much for sending this detailed description of the screening and the response it got amongst your community of practitioners. Knowing that what we made had an impact for you is still very moving, even all this time after the film’s release.
In broad terms, the situation on the island is similar but the population has become smaller with more people moving off the island. This may be linked to the lack of regular transport on and off the island and maybe different kinds of economic pressures, as well as other social changes, but it’s hard to know because communication is also difficult. I know that many of the people on the island are very in favour of staying and this could well be possible – the level of viability of the gardens and fisheries around Takuu is not currently clear.
I wish I had more detailed information about the specific people in the film to share – this is something we’re working on.
Ngā mihi nui,
Lyn
