Canary Islands Saints: Documentary
Donation protected
Canary Islands Saints: a Documentary Project
“Let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare his praise in the islands” (Isaiah 42:12)
In the coming months (and years) we plan to document hundreds of stories and memories that pay tribute to the LDS pioneers of the Canary Islands-- and to their beautiful tierra. We will film and make available -- on a website dedicated to those Saints -- the personal stories and faith journeys of many of those pioneers. We need your help. (For more detail, please read on!)
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The LDS Church planted its first seeds in the Canary Islands over 40 years ago. This January, we (Michael DeGruccio and Bryan Pickett, two former missionaries who served the islands in the early 90s) hope to return to Las Islas Canarias and document a wide variety of stories from island Saints. We know that many of the pioneers are deceased and some are very old. This project comes from a sense of urgency to gather stories before it’s too late. We are trying to raise money to document with video and still photography the lives, conversion stories, challenges, homes, faith life and even the food of these wonderful people.
Bryan is a formally trained photographer and videographer. Michael holds a PhD in history and has broad experience in production, direction and video editing. We have worked together and produced several video projects for clients, from makers of premier musical instruments to the University of Notre Dame. David Mineer will be joining us to handle logistics and technology support (and help us lug around all our heavy gear).
We will take thousands of images and work to capture gallery worthy photographs of places and people -- glimpses of ordinary life on the islands. These will not be tourist pictures, but instead stills of families getting ready for church, family dinners, cooking in the kitchen, hanging laundry on the rooftops, making mojo picón, images of doorways, cobbler shops, the hands and eyes of children and hard-working mothers and local artisans etc.
The heart of our work, though, will be interviews in which we will capture unvarnished, honest, hopeful stories of Saints in the Canary Islands. The Saints will be encouraged to articulate their own journeys -- challenges, conversions, hopes and triumphs.
The trip itself will require two weeks of our time. The “post- production” and editing, after we return, will require most of our efforts and continue on for months.
We are reaching out to you, hoping that you will help make this project possible. First, we need money! We need enough to help us cover airfare to and from the islands, airfare between the islands, rental car, gas, accommodations and food. We will need to purchase some additional equipment in order to craft this project in the very best way we are able. We will also be making some stateside journeys to film interviews of former missionaries, former mission presidents and hopefully some Canarians who now live in the United States. Our personal investments will already be significant. We will be bringing several thousands of dollars worth of sound and video equipment. And we plan to spend several months in post-production (in our spare hours) -- editing, translating and subtitling, and building a website where the project can be seen and enjoyed by members, former (and future) missionaries, and anyone who loves the people of the Canary Islands. This will all be available at www.santoscanarios.com
Secondly, and just as importantly as the money, we need ideas and suggestions! We desire your input about whom we should visit, which branches/wards, which towns. It is a sad reality that many members have passed away, or have fallen out of contact and activity with the church. We won’t be able to track down everyone, but we are certain that we can find and document a web of people who have stories to tell. This project will not work without experience and input from those who have lived and served there. Please, we want to hear from you!
So will you please consider making a donation of any amount you can to help fund this project? Will you please share with us information about an individual or family that you believe we can find?
Please also share this invitation with old companions, family and friends. We hope to draw from a large web of people with connections to all eras and generations of the mission and the islands.
We greatly appreciate your consideration. All donors will be included in the credits except for those who desire to remain anonymous.
“Let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare his praise in the islands” (Isaiah 42:12)
In the coming months (and years) we plan to document hundreds of stories and memories that pay tribute to the LDS pioneers of the Canary Islands-- and to their beautiful tierra. We will film and make available -- on a website dedicated to those Saints -- the personal stories and faith journeys of many of those pioneers. We need your help. (For more detail, please read on!)
--------
The LDS Church planted its first seeds in the Canary Islands over 40 years ago. This January, we (Michael DeGruccio and Bryan Pickett, two former missionaries who served the islands in the early 90s) hope to return to Las Islas Canarias and document a wide variety of stories from island Saints. We know that many of the pioneers are deceased and some are very old. This project comes from a sense of urgency to gather stories before it’s too late. We are trying to raise money to document with video and still photography the lives, conversion stories, challenges, homes, faith life and even the food of these wonderful people.
Bryan is a formally trained photographer and videographer. Michael holds a PhD in history and has broad experience in production, direction and video editing. We have worked together and produced several video projects for clients, from makers of premier musical instruments to the University of Notre Dame. David Mineer will be joining us to handle logistics and technology support (and help us lug around all our heavy gear).
We will take thousands of images and work to capture gallery worthy photographs of places and people -- glimpses of ordinary life on the islands. These will not be tourist pictures, but instead stills of families getting ready for church, family dinners, cooking in the kitchen, hanging laundry on the rooftops, making mojo picón, images of doorways, cobbler shops, the hands and eyes of children and hard-working mothers and local artisans etc.
The heart of our work, though, will be interviews in which we will capture unvarnished, honest, hopeful stories of Saints in the Canary Islands. The Saints will be encouraged to articulate their own journeys -- challenges, conversions, hopes and triumphs.
The trip itself will require two weeks of our time. The “post- production” and editing, after we return, will require most of our efforts and continue on for months.
We are reaching out to you, hoping that you will help make this project possible. First, we need money! We need enough to help us cover airfare to and from the islands, airfare between the islands, rental car, gas, accommodations and food. We will need to purchase some additional equipment in order to craft this project in the very best way we are able. We will also be making some stateside journeys to film interviews of former missionaries, former mission presidents and hopefully some Canarians who now live in the United States. Our personal investments will already be significant. We will be bringing several thousands of dollars worth of sound and video equipment. And we plan to spend several months in post-production (in our spare hours) -- editing, translating and subtitling, and building a website where the project can be seen and enjoyed by members, former (and future) missionaries, and anyone who loves the people of the Canary Islands. This will all be available at www.santoscanarios.com
Secondly, and just as importantly as the money, we need ideas and suggestions! We desire your input about whom we should visit, which branches/wards, which towns. It is a sad reality that many members have passed away, or have fallen out of contact and activity with the church. We won’t be able to track down everyone, but we are certain that we can find and document a web of people who have stories to tell. This project will not work without experience and input from those who have lived and served there. Please, we want to hear from you!
So will you please consider making a donation of any amount you can to help fund this project? Will you please share with us information about an individual or family that you believe we can find?
Please also share this invitation with old companions, family and friends. We hope to draw from a large web of people with connections to all eras and generations of the mission and the islands.
We greatly appreciate your consideration. All donors will be included in the credits except for those who desire to remain anonymous.
Organizer and beneficiary
Michael E DeGruccio
Organizer
Fountain Hills
David Mineer
Beneficiary