Birdgirl Productions presents

BURNING IN THE SUN Directed by Cambria Matlow & Morgan Robinson

“Riveting…The ramifications are extraordinary” — James van Maanen, Trust Movies

Contact: Birdgirl Productions Sales: Cambria Matlow, Coproducer | 802.310.3379 | [email protected] Press: Claire Weingarten, Coproducer | 202.494.7812 | [email protected]

USA/Mali | Documentary | 82 min | English, French, & Bambara with English subtitles

www.burninginthesun.wordpress.com SYNOPSIS

26-year-old charmer Daniel Dembélé is equal parts West African and European, and looking to make his mark on the world. Seizing the moment at a crossroads in his life, Daniel decides to return to his homeland in Mali and start a local business building solar panels – the first of its kind in the sun drenched nation. Daniel's goal is to electrify the households of rural communities, 99% of which live without power. BURNING IN THE SUN tells the story of Daniel’s journey growing the budding idea into a viable company, and of the business’ impact on Daniel’s first customers in the tiny village of Banko. Taking controversial stances on climate change, poverty, and African self-sufficiency, the film explores what it means to grow up as a man, and what it takes to prosper as a nation.

OFFICIAL SELECTION

Rooftop Films 2009, World Premiere Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2010 New York African Film Festival 2010 Sedona International Film Festival 2010 Indie Spirit Film Festival 2010 Santa Cruz International Film Festival 2010 Barcelona Environmental International Film Festival 2010, International Premiere Woods Hole Film Festival 2010 Landlocked Film Festival 2010 Real to Reel Film Festival 2010 Roxbury Film Festival 2010 Atlanta International Documentary Film Festival 2010 Southern Utah Documentary International Film Festival 2010 EcoFocus Film Festival 2010 Scottsdale International Film Festival 2010 Kansas International Film Festival 2010 Vermont International Film Festival 2010 Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers 2010 IFP, Independent Film Week Spotlight on Docs 2008 IFP, Documentary Rough Cut Lab 2008

AWARDS

WINNER—Grand Jury Prize, Best EarthVision Environmental Film, Santa Cruz Film Festival 2010 WINNER—Audience Award, Best Environmental Film, Indie Spirit Film Festival 2010 WINNER—Puffin Foundation, Finishing Funds 2010 WINNER—Experimental Television Center, Finishing Funds 2008 WINNER— Arts Council, NYSCA Re-Grant 2008 WINNER—LEF Foundation, Social Justice Grant 2007

PRESS ACCLAIM

Critic’s Pick! -V.A. Musetto, New York Post

“It’s Startup.com with solar panels instead of trade in this doc, which follows a 20-year-old Malian man as he attempts to build a business.” -Time Out New York

“Inspirational!” -Amsterdam News

“Proves a fascinating subject. The twenty minutes shown to us were riveting, and the ramifications are pretty extraordinary -- for Mali, of course, but for poor countries worldwide and, in fact, for some rich ones, too. If solar energy can be created as easily and cheaply as shown here, our government has, as Ricky used to tell Lucy, some 'splainin' to do.” -James van Maanen, Trust Movies

“Director[s]Cambria Matlow and Morgan Robinson have found in Mali a young man whose personal story and drive to succeed so parallels Barack Obama’s that the film’s sociological insights almost outweigh the accomplishment of bringing cheap electricity to poor villages.” -Film-Forward.com

“A really moving portrait…one of the festival’s highlights. Dembélé coolly and profoundly aligns a desire for personal independence with the complex cultural dilemma expressed so prominently in African cinema.” -Scott Limbacher, Columbia Spectator

Dear Cambria and Claire, I just saw your documentary Burning in the Sun. It is one of the most constructive docs I've seen lately, congratulations on such a positive and urgent message. Daniel is so fantastic, his energy, charisma, determination, ethics are very well portrayed here but what I also like is the ability to capture his weaknesses as well, it shows his humanity. Definitely Carolina is in the house here! She has more guts than any of the men. Dr. Komp is also a key figure here, he is the guide, the proof that wisdom relies on the experienced, kind of like a greek structure. I think this doc should help as a model for other enterpreneurs in sustainable projects to really focus. Beautiful work girls, very inspiring. The edit is impeccable by the way. Well, I just wanted to share a bit of my thoughts on this. But I think it is a film which can trigger consciousness for alternative methods on sustainable energy among all the corners of this world. Inspiring :) Kindest regards, Pedro

-Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio, Director of Alamar, InternationalFilm Festival Rotterdam 2010 Tiger Award-winner “When the Film Society of Lincoln Center's 17th New York African Film Festival begins this coming Wednesday, April 7, for its week-long run, there'll be a number of good films to see. None of them, however, quite has the impact for TrustMovies as that of a very small DIY documentary titled BURNING IN THE SUN. In fact, BITS, as it will now be known here, is the single film most often covered on this particular blog over its 19-month history.

I first saw a 20-minute portion of this film in September of 2008, during the IFP Independent Film Week, which then became on of my first blog posts (here). So timely and fascinating seemed this subject and how it was handled that I did a follow-up post, just to learn what was happening with the film a few months later. Then, nearly one year after my first viewing, the documentary, was given its first showing here in NYC at a Rooftop screening this past summer. The feedback was very good, and sure enough, a number of festivals -- Santa Barbara, Sedona, Indie Spirit, Santa Cruz -- were soon offering the little movie a berth in their program. In fact, the current NYC screenings are a joint effort of the FSLC's African festival and its Green Screens program.

The reason for FSLC's dual programming effort is that BITS has two important themes: the betterment of Africa -- specifically Mali, the home of the film's protagonist -- and ecology/solar energy. Directors Cambria Matlow and Morgan Robinson tell this story succinctly with no unnecessary frou-frou. And the characters we meet, all helping to make one young man's dream (doing something good for his country) a reality, are an odd but fascinating mix.

And while the setting is Africa, what should ring all kind of bells in the mind of Western viewers is how easily and inexpensively this fellow, Daniel Dembélé, is finally able to do this. If a mud-hut village in Africa can use solar energy to power water flow and electricity, what the hell is going on here in America that we can't seem to manage something similar and bigger. (The movie of course does not begin to answer that, but its very existence raises the question -- and a good one it is.)”

-James van Maanen, Trust Movies

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

Some of the most valuable feedback we got while crafting this film was from our editor, Emily Paine. She encouraged us to trust our material and not try to make anything fancy, fabricated, or to insert any “big drama” that did not otherwise naturally emerge. So the story survives and thrives on its own organic elements and characters. We also didn’t want the film to be dogmatic or preachy. We wanted viewers to feel safe with the characters and the situations we presented, and to have the space to approach the material from their own persepctives, without being told what to think.

At the beginning we wanted to make a movie about everyone we had filmed during the three months and 140 hours of tape we shot in Mali, because each character was so fascinating and vibrant – we could have made a different and exciting movie about any one of them, from the sole female schoolteacher Olga Sidibe in Banko village to Dr. Richard Komp, the mad scientist who acts as Daniel’s mentor. After months of editing though, it became clear that Daniel Dembélé – passionate, complex, and commanding onscreen – was to be the main focus, and that his story could best encompass the issues we wanted to delve into in the film.

Founding a small business is something that is deeply embedded in American and European culture, a topic to which many can relate. But most have never seen this universal kind of effort take place in Africa, traditionally marked out by the media as the land of the starving, the war ravaged and the hopeless. In our portrayal of Daniel, who undertakes a familiar effort in an unfamiliar environment, we attempt to open the door to what is possible in Africa, and update Western cultural awareness with a profound dose of optimism. For us, Daniel’s work shatters notions of the need for African dependence on outside aid and embraces the view that ultimately it is Africans who will develop Africa in their own way.

Now more than ever before, people around the world have come to see green-collar jobs as an absolute necessity for survival in our rapidly changing economies and environments. Daniel’s daring, charisma and intelligence remind us of the sort of leadership required around the globe that will encourage this level of transformative change. It was important to us for the film to showcase him as an African leader, not only of his country, but as a global trendsetter. So not only do viewers come away with a greater understanding of the kind of development that makes the most sense for Africa, but a sense of profound inspiration that they can take what they’ve seen and apply it just as easily to their own communities.

Visual contrasts, like a bright blue shiny modern solar panel resting on the ground of a pale brown dusty village, confront a viewer’s preconceptions about solar energy and about Africa. Scenes shot in natural sunlight and total darkness work strategically to place the viewer in the characters’ shoes. The original score combines emotional orchestral sounds with modern R&B swagger and traditional Malian folk music to sonically reinforce the idea that something utterly new and original is taking place. Handheld camerawork emphasizes Daniel’s infectious energy and constant movement forward, while serene shots of rural Mali’s slow, small-town pace contrast with Daniel’s kineticism and the urban chaos of the capital, and punctuate the cultural divide between them. Throughout the film, expert interviews and voiceover narration are omitted in favor of giving space to both Daniel and the people of Banko to tell their own story, in their own words.

BURNING IN THE SUN is often labeled as a film that is ‘African’ or ‘Environmental’, but our goal in telling this particular story is to disegregate these two topics, and to encourage niche audiences to join together in dialogue, and start a new discussion on the world stage. Strikingly beautiful, surprisingly emotional, and a revolution of ideas, the film provides a newschool portrait of a Green Africa capable of inspiring worldwide emulation.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

Cambria Matlow, Director/Producer/Cinematographer Cambria Matlow co-founded Birdgirl Productions in 2005 to support this project. Prior to this Cambria directed and lensed several short narrative films, including THE SACRED CLOWN, an experimental film about Che Guevara that examines the cultural consequences of political idolatry, and artfully probes beyond the surface of controversial contemporary world issues. As a film producer and distributor, Cambria has worked in development and production with social issue media organization Arts Engine on documentary feature films including Nicaragua Dreaming and Rose and Nangabire. Now, in her role as director of Non- Theatrical programming at Film Movement, she leads nationwide distribution and outreach efforts for international and American independent documentary and feature films. Cambria holds a Certificate in Film Production from Burlington College in Vermont and a B.A. in Hispanic Studies from Columbia University. She has driven across the United States six times, lived in Spain and New Zealand, and traveled abroad extensively, including time spent in Morocco, Singapore, Central America, Mexico, and Eastern Europe. BURNING IN THE SUN marks her documentary feature directorial debut.

Morgan Robinson, Director/Producer/Cinematographer Morgan Robinson began his filmmaking career in the production department for Spike Lee's HE GOT GAME and SUMMER OF SAM. He attended the New York Film Academy and his narrative short CATABASIS won first prize at the Dominique Dunne Memorial Film Festival and a Golden Apple at the National Educational Media Network Film Festival. Morgan assisted filmmaker John Halpern shooting and producing his documentary film ANGER on location in Mexico, Colorado and Arizona. Subsequently Morgan took on the project of co-directing and photographing BURNING IN THE SUN, and has been working on every aspect of this film since 2005. In addition he has produced the promotional video JI DUMA: BRING THEM WATER, as well as a narrative short, HANDS and a documentary short, THE DOMINO PROJECT. Recently Morgan produced and photographed John Halpern's latest documentary ONCE PARADISE on location in Kashmir, India. Currently he is an associate producer at Punched in the Head Productions making the Emmy-winning show True Life for MTV. Morgan studied religion at Columbia University and speaks English, French, Spanish and Mandarin.

Claire Weingarten, Coproducer/Additional Cinematography A veteran of the film distribution and exhibition worlds, Claire Weingarten has worked with The Film Society of Lincoln Center, The American Film Institute, and on the inaugural two years of AFI's documentary film festival, Silverdocs. In 2005 Claire co-founded Birdgirl Productions and BURNING IN THE SUN is her initiation into the world of documentary production. Claire’s work at Silverdocs cemented her love for the documentary film genre and paved the way for her role as a producer of BURNING IN THE SUN. Claire received a Masters degree in Cinema Studies from New York University and graduated cum laude from Columbia University with degrees in Film Studies, Ethnic Studies and Anthropology. In addition to her role as a documentary film producer, Claire currently oversees new media programming and publicity for the Chelsea-based foreign and independent film distribution company, Film Movement.

Emily Paine, Editor Emily Paine has been a film editor of feature films and long form documentaries for the past 25 years. She edited the documentary THOTH, directed by Sarah Kernochan, which won the Academy Award for Best Short Subject Documentary in 2002. Other work includes the feature films STATIC directed by Mark Romanek, FLESHTONE directed by Harry Hurwitz and GHOSTS OF THE HEARTLAND directed by Allen Blumberg. She received a Cable Ace nomination for best editing for an episode of Remember WENN on AMC. She has also worked as a professional music editor and edited many hour long documentaries for the History Channel, Discovery Channel and Biography.

Daniel Praid, Editor Daniel Praid is an editor and associate producer of documentary feature films. Recent work includes: MR. UNTOUCHABLE (dir. Marc Levin); HEIR TO AN EXECUTION (dir. Ivy Meeropol, Academy Award shortlist); BACK IN THE HOOD: GANG WAR 2 (dir. Marc Levin); PROTOCOLS OF ZION (dir. Marc Levin, Official Sundance Selection).

Ronen Landa, Composer Ronen Landa composes music for film and media as well as music for the concert hall. His music has been heard on national television broadcasts, film festivals and screenings around the globe as well as in live concert venues. Films featuring his scores include the landmark Iraqi-made documentary THE DREAMS OF SPARROWS and the romantic drama DIVERGENCE. His music has been heard on MTV, CNN, and NPR as well as internet radio. Ronen received his B.A in Music and Political Science from Columbia University, where he graduated with honors from the Music department, and his M.A. in music composition and film scoring from New York University. He plays guitar, mandolin, oud (Arabic lute) and other stringed instruments.

Yacouba Sissoko, Featured Kora Player Yacouba Sissoko is a Master Kora player from the Djely griot tradition. He was born in Kita, Mali. His grandfather, Samakoun Tounkara, began teaching Yacouba when he was 12 years old. Samakoun's wife Bintouba Diabate was a famous singer in her own right. They raised Yacouba and educated him in his griot heritage and in many lessons about life. Oumou Tounkara, his mother, was a star in the Ensemble National du Mali. Yacouba attended the Institut National des Arts du Mali in Bamako. After his graduation, he played with artists like Taye and Oumou Sacko, Haja Soumano, Djallou Demba, Ami Koita, Fantani Koure, Kandia Kouyate and l'Ensemble Instrumental du Mali.

In 1993, Souleymane Koli,the leader of the Ensemble Koteba of Abidjan recruited him. Yacouba spend the next 5 years performing all over the world with this 45-piece band. In his career, he has traveled to almost every nation on the African continent, as well as most of Europe, Canada, the US and Australia. He is in demand as one of the best kora players in the world, playing with jazz, Latin and R & B bands as well as traditional African ceremonies. As leader of his own band, Siya, and member of the group Super Mande, Yacouba continues to record with many famous musicians, including the groups Source, Tamalalou and Fula Flute.

Mary Manhardt, Consulting Editor Mary Manhardt is an Emmy-award-winning documentary film editor and consultant based in New York. Her work has aired on HBO, PBS, ABC and MTV, and been honored in film festivals worldwide, including Sundance, IDFA, Tribeca, Hot Docs and SXSW. Mary is currently cutting Carol Dysinger’s Camp Victory, Afghanistan, for ITVS, to be completed Spring 2009.

Other credits include: , directed by Marshall Curry and co-edited, with Marshall Curry and Matt Hamachek, premiering at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival. Bronx Princess, an ITVS film directed by Yoni Brook and Musa Syeed, which premiered at IDFA 2008, also playing at Berlin and True/False, 2009. American Teen, directed by Nanette Burstein, and edited with Burstein andTom Haneke. American Teen premiered in competition at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and won the Directing Award for Burstein there. The film was released by Paramount Vantage and A & E Indies, and opened theatrically July 25th, 2008. A Son’s Sacrifice, an ITVS directed by Yoni Brook and Musa Syeed, which won the Jury Prize for Best Documentary Short at both Tribeca and Silver Docs in 2007. Mystic Ball, directed by Greg Hamilton, which won the Audience Award at the 2007 Chicago Film Festival, Best Canadian Documentary at Hot Docs 2006, and Best Canadian Feature at Vancouver, 2006. Street Fight, directed by Marshall Curry, which won Best International Documentary and the Audience Award at Hot Docs, and the Audience Award at Tribeca in 2005, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary feature in 2006. Farmingville, Special Jury Prize, 2004 Sundance Film Festival, directed by Carlos Sandoval and Catherine Tambini. The Execution of Wanda Jean, directed by , premiered in competition at Sundance 2003 and broadcast on HBO. girlhood, directed by Liz Garbus, Audience Award at SXSW, 2002. The Farm: Angola, USA (for which Mary received an Emmy Award for Non- Fiction Picture Editing, 1998-1999, and which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature) directed by Liz Garbus and Jonathan Stack.

Ann Bennett, Line Producer Ann Bennett is an independent filmmaker with an extensive background as a producer, researcher, and writer. After studying animation and documentary production at Harvard College, Ms. Bennett began her film career at Blackside Productions in Boston. She has worked on a host of documentary and new media projects for public television, cable networks, and a variety organizations around the world including; PBS, HBO, Harpo Films, Missing Pixel, The History Channel, England’s Channel Four, The Apollo Theater, The National Civil Rights Museum, and The NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Ms. Bennett won fellowships for advanced training from The USC Annenberg School for Communication Institute for Justice & Journalism, The National Black Programming Consortium New Media & Technology Institute, The American Film Institute Digital Content Lab, The CPB/PBS Producers Academy, The Independent Feature Project Documentary Lab, and The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism Bollinger Presidential Fellowship.

Birdgirl Productions, Production Company Birdgirl Productions was started in 2005 when three filmmakers joined forces and together decided to create provocative, visually compelling films that examine important contemporary issues through the lens of everyday human stories. Since that time, founding members Cambria Matlow, Morgan Robinson, and Claire Weingarten have embraced BURNING IN THE SUN as Birdgirl’s first feature length documentary. To date the film has garnered national support from LEF Foundation, Puffin Foundation, the Brooklyn Arts Council, the Experimental Television Center, and the Independent Film Project (IFP).

ADVISORY COUNCIL

Faye Ginsburg PhD, Consulting Scholar Faye Ginsburg is director of the Center for Media, Culture, and History, and codirector of the Center for Religion and Media at New York University, where she is also the David B. Kriser Professor of Anthropology. An anthropologist and filmmaker, she has authored/edited a number of prize-winning books, most recently, Media Worlds: Anthropology on New Terrain. She is recipient of numerous awards and honors, including a Guggenheim, and a MacArthur Fellowship.

Richard Komp PhD, Consulting Solar Physicist / Renewable Developer Few people can match both the enthusiasm Dr. Komp has brought to solar energy as well the length of his career around solar technologies. While he didn’t start working professionally with solar energy until 1960, as far back as 1951 he had worked with passive solar and radiant heating technologies. He has taught literally hundreds of workshops around the world, and has dozens of publications to his name—from academic papers to his current book “Practical Photovoltaics”. As a pioneer of photovoltaics as a “cottage industry” in Nicaragua, Haiti, Jamaica and Rwanda, he has taught workshops that range in topic from solar module assembly to solar micro-drip irrigation. Currently groups in these countries are assembling dozens of panels per year for a total of over 10 kilowatts per year.

Richard has had a deep career in the academic and research worlds. He received his PhD in Physical Chemistry from Wayne State University in Michigan and later was an associate professor at Kentucky University. He also has been an adjunct or visiting professor at several other universities, including currently the national engineering university (UNI -- Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería) in Managua, Nicaragua. Earlier in his career he conducted extensive research at Xerox’s Materials Research Laboratory, resulting in about a dozen patents on such things as nanoparticle photoreceptors. Richard is far more than just an academic. He lives in an off-the-grid solar house that he built himself in Jonesport, Maine (the only place a solar scientist could afford coastal real estate). The house is decked out with many of the technologies he has taught in workshops, including photovoltaics, a solar thermal hot water (via his “hybrid” system), and rain water catchments.

CREDITS

Directors Cambria Matlow Morgan Robinson

Producers Cambria Matlow Morgan Robinson

Coproducer Claire Weingarten

Cinematography Cambria Matlow Morgan Robinson

Editors Emily Paine Daniel Praid

Original Music Ronen Landa

Featured Kora player Yacouba Sissoko

Sound Editor Greg Sextro

Consulting Editor Mary Manhardt

Offline Translation Greg Flatt Mohamed Bah Melodie Portau Sire Diallo Jenebou Diallo Cambria Matlow

Location Translation Mamadou Kouyate Abdoulaye Coulibaly

Line Producer Ann Bennett

Assistant Editors Caitlin Burke Casper Vuong

Additional Editing Cambria Matlow Morgan Robinson

Additional Photography Claire Weingarten Soumaila Ouedrago

Featuring Daniel Dembélé Mamadou Kouyate Dr. Richard Komp Carolina Barreto Cajina Loriana Ricarelli Dembélé Olga Sidibe Moussa Doumbia Amadou Coulibaly Woyo Doumbia

Advisory Council Faye Ginsberg, PhD Richard Komp, PhD

Production Company Birdgirl Productions

With Support From Brooklyn Arts Council, LEF Foundation, Experimental Television Center, Independent Film Project (IFP), Puffin Foundation