Idyllwild International Film Festival, Here we come!

As I sit here finishing the last of the tasks on my "Film Fest To Do" list, I can't help but take pride in what we have achieved and where we stand as film makers. This project, started in 2008 by Kimberley, has taken 7 years to complete. It has been challenging in so many ways; from the bulk of the film being in Kazakh and Russian language, to the sheer volume of footage that was captured (12 terabytes worth) and subsequently edited down to 54 minutes. Making a film is no easy task, making a documentary in a foreign country is a monumental one.

Despite all that...here we are. We have a beautiful film highlighting, above all else, the resilience of the human spirit. Our interest in and attention to the plight of the villagers living around the Polygon, has already created a wave of change for the people still suffering the legacy of the Soviet nuclear testing. Our hope, as this film gains momentum, is that more help will come for them from around the world, and ultimately that their own government will finally take care of them.

When I was a young teenager all I wanted was to find a way to help people on a grander scale. I realized that there is no larger audience than that of the film industry, so when the opportunity came to work on this project I jumped on board as fast as I could. Like everyone involved with this project, I have poured many days (and long nights) into this and to finally see it on the big screen at a fantastic festival such as The Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema is deeply satisfying.

Thank you to everyone who made this idea a reality. The people of The Polygon know that it takes a village to raise a child, and so too does it take a community to make a film.

Lookout Idyllwild, here we come!