20 Hours Left to Get into the Credits

Astounding results in just two days of our final fundraising effort for the Global Premiere:  

If you'd like to get your hands on a slice of the Stupid pie - and in particular if you're keen to see your name in the film's credits -  you've got about 20 hours left to decide, as we're back in the post-production studio tomorrow (Monday 13th) making the master for the international cinema release, so will be adding all the new investors' names to the credits. Which means you've got till about 10am Monday morning to buy a share (of 5K or 10K) and to then see your name up in lights (kind-of). Please contact Andrew Douglas on andrew@ageofstupid.net if you'd like to discuss. He's checking his emails today (Sunday). But of course if you're not fussed about being in the credits, you can buy a share at your leisure whenever you like - it's first come first served. 

- Two international NGOs have come onboard to sponsor the Central Park event in a big way - that's a quarter of the total we have to raise right there. Phew. (And there's still room for a third partner, if anybody's interested - contact Jahlia Osha. Quite serious cash though).

- A lovely mystery match funder has stepped forward with the offer to DOUBLE any donation made to the action campaign. All you have to do is buy one of the items on the wedding list marked as "campaign" and he will give us the same again. Thank you so much Mr X. 

- The yak has been bought eight times over, but not a single item has been sponsored in Australia... hmmmm, not sure what to conclude by this. No credit cards downunder? Yaks cuter than Aussie trailers? Will continue to ponder that one, but in the meantime, a massive thank you to Katherine Wasell, Khaled Ailyan, Simon, Nicola Grant-Stevenson, Jess & Joe Lawson, Azul, Kathleen Winkley, Jez, Tamsin, Rebecca del Tufo, David, Ben Hecking, Neil Chadborn, Lucille, Cath Richardson, Mark Morton, Janet Warren, Climate Works Ltd, Andrew McLeod, Matthew Barley, Jenny Roberts & Ann Croft, Sarah Martin and Mick Dann for sponsoring everything from the green carpet and the eco-flyers to five cinema seats and a bike rickshaw. If you fancy getting your metaphorical hands on a solar car, two photographers, four policemen, a satellite uplink and some portaloos, please head to the fundraising page now. (Minimum donation: one quid (=two quid, after Mr X has done his work). Can't be bad.)

Guess how much cash Stupid has raised in total since December 2004.... it's pretty astounding....  I wouldn't be so crude as to say the figure out loud, but the answer is in the top right corner of this page. Pretty gobsmacking don't you reckon? Specially when you consider that the largest amount any single person gave was 35,000 quid - so the vast majority comes from loads of people giving loads of small amounts. It's enough to melt the hardest heart. 

Speaking of melting hearts I really like this thought from Bill McKibben: "I've mostly given up being either optimistic or pessimistic. Our odds of success are not incredibly good, but I wake up every day saying "What can I do to change the odds some?". And it's not impossible, the task that we have ahead. We're not going to stop global warming, but slowing it to the point that we can cope with it remains within the realms of possibility. "Fun" is not quite the right word, but there is something deeply satisfying about trying. It's the biggest challenge that humans have ever gotten to take part in. It's exciting to be part of that. To be doing something that crucial is a great honour." 

If anyone out there has a cracking idea for a doc, but can't be doing with the trials & tribulations of crowd-funding, a new scheme called The Tipping Point Film Fund has just launched, with the explicit aim of getting cash to great filmmakers making social/political docs. Why didn't they invent that five years ago, goddammit? Sure the makers of the excellent Burma VJ are thinking the same thing: theirs has been a long and winding road, too, so hats off to them for making it to their UK cinema release this coming Tuesday.

Is the attached picture of the Brindisi coal power station in Italy the greatest image you've ever seen? It most certainly is mine. Am awaiting the poster sized version for my bedroom wall as we speak. Standing ovation for Greenpeace. And kudos to Oxfam, too, for their photogenic big heads stunt at the G8. Both of which are clearly way, way more exciting than our appearance in Vogue, even if my granny disagrees. 

Hope you're all having lovely Sundays walking in woods or swimming in streams. Don't feel bad for me all alone in this hot, claustrophobic edit room preparing DVD extras. 

Adios, 

Franny