Canadian Premier of "IL Ngwesi: People of Wildlife"

Dear Supporters,

We would like to invite you to come out to the Canadian Premier of Apo Calypso Productions first film " IL Ngwesi: People of Wildlife"

The screening will be held at:
Innis Town Hall on Thursday April, 23rd, 2009 at 7:30pm
(Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Avenue, Toronto, ON- University of Toronto Campus)

Following the film there will be a Question and Answer period with the Three Producers/Directors of the film as well as a brief on our upcoming Film Projects.

This will be a donate what you can event.
Pre-released copies of "IL Ngwesi: People of Wildlife" will be available for a donation of $20 Dollars.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our supporters for their continued support and look forward to seeing you all there!

In addition, the Apo Calypso Productions Team is Heading to Washington DC on Friday, April 17th, 2009 for the World Premier of "IL Ngwesi: People of Wildlife"


For more information write to us at apocalypso@apocalypsoproductions.org or call us at 1-416-550-2287

Onward and Upward

Apo Calypso Productions

Coming Full Circle

A year ago, the Apo Calypso journey began. For our pilot expedition we ventured to Kenya's Rift Valley, humanity’s shared ancestral homeland and home today of the IL Ngwesi Maasai--People of Wildlife. The goal of this journey was to create an inspirational film showcasing the magical essence of the IL Ngwesi community: their culture, their worldview, and the intimate relationship they maintain with their surroundings. It is with great pride and even greater satisfaction that we report the successful completion of this project. Finally, after ten months of intensive learning and strenuous toil, we have completed our task and sent out advanced screening copies to our ever-growing network of friends and supporters.

The production of IL Ngwesi: People of Wildlife was an intensive exercise in collaboration. We were blessed with the opportunity to immerse ourselves in IL Ngwesi and respectfully shoot an artistic reflection on their way of life. This was possible because the relationship we established with the community was based on a mutual acknowledgement of the importance of the preservation of environment and culture. This understanding led us to undertake further development initiatives within the community in addition to our film. We facilitated the spread of cultural awareness by partnering with the Enatum Youth Group--a band of talented Maasai vocalists--to produce a collection of state-of-the-art recordings of their traditional chants. This has never been done before. We also shot a short video for the Safi Project, a waste management initiative headed by a member of the IL Ngwesi community, to be used as an educational resource on trash collection and environmental protection.

A river leads to the sea as one journey leads to the next. Our effort to spread awareness about our undertaking has connected us with many walking a similar path toward similar ends. Through our persistence in broadcasting our message over the global channels of information exchange, we attracted the interest of Alaina Tom, a member of the St'at'imc (Stlat-lee-umh) Nation in British Columbia. She reached out to us with her story. Her message was simple, clear, and vital; an indigenous mother's call to defend the land against the mind-state of consumption and destruction that has overthrown her people's traditional ways of living and threatened the prospect of life for future generations. By exchanging stories and our experiences in IL Ngwesi, trust grew between us and our connection deepened. Then Alaina extended to us an invitation on behalf of her nation to volunteer, participate, and document the 2009 International Indigenous Leadership Gathering, which will be hosted by the St'at'imc this spring on their ancestral lands. This gathering, the first of its kind recognized outside the context of the United Nations, has been in the works since 2002 It will bring together indigenous leaders from all over the world to take part in a week-long exchange of Sacred Ceremonies and Sacred Knowledge. In co-ordination with the organizers of this forum of utmost import, we have successfully arranged for the attendance three Maasai representatives from Il Ngwesi, who have been invited to speak about the protection of the environment to an audience of teachers, healers, spiritual authorities, and youth. Our presence at this symposium, with the Maasai, will mark the beginning of a longer stay in St’at’imc territory, throughout which we will be collaborating with Alaina on a film, that will tell her extraordinary story of struggle and perseverance.

As we prepare to undertake this expedition, we look for your continued support. We will be distributing pre-released DVD versions of "IL Ngwesi" for a minimum donation of $20. To recieve your copy, or to help support our organization, you may follow the link below. We will also be sending copies of our forthcoming film proposals on request.

E-mail us at: apocalypso@apocalypsoproductions.org