X TRILLION - COMPLETION FUND

X TRILLION

 

Length: 70 minutes

 

Our adventurous, exciting and inspiring documentary is now at picture lock.

We have some of the film industry's finest talents helping us with our

post-production but even with the best will in the world, there are certain costs

that are unavoidable such as music and archive clearance.

We are so excited by the film we have made and now need to raise the final funds to cover essential post-production work such as the grade, refining the sound,

clearing the music tracks and creating promotional materials to get it out into the world.

 

Before even finishing the film, we’ve had incredible interest from broadcasters,

film festivals, educational establishments, individuals and more, asking to screen

the film as soon as it's finished. Eleanor has already done a multitude of interviews on TV, radio including the Guilty Feminist podcast at the BFI - there’s so much

support already for it.

 

Our film has a website where you can find out more: www.xtrillionfilm.com

 

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO CHANGE THE WORLD!

 

Never has a film been more important - only recently scientists found that plastic

is omnipresent in our environment and our bodies. The world is at a crossroads

where we can encourage system change, enabling a healthier future for our planet and us. This has been a labour of love and dedication. Please help us achieve

this!

 

WHAT WE ARE RAISING FUNDS FOR?

 

Post Production: We have locked picture which means that the edit is exactly as

we want it. It's ready to go - we just need some final funds to finalise the colour

grade, sound, music and graphics to make the film shine. We will be working

with an award-winning musician and sound designer on music and audio for the

film. We have a colourist onboard to make the images as beautiful and rich in

colour as they deserve to be. We have a fantastic designer to create the final titles and graphics as well as create promotional and educational materials get the

message to as many people as possible.

 

Any extra money raised would enable us to organise public screenings in the UK,

Europe and to as many countries as possible (and to subtitle it into relevant

languages).

 

 

THE STORY

 

X Trillion follows the journey of 14 women as they sail a gruelling 3000 miles across the North Pacific Ocean to one of the most remote places on Earth, but also the

location of the densest accumulation of ocean plastic - the North Pacific Gyre, or

the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.​

 

A crew of scientists to packaging designers, engineers, teachers, artists and more, they carry out cutting edge research into the impacts of plastics and microplastics both on the natural world and on human health, and explore the practical and

emotional responses to one of the biggest global challenges of our time.

 

This is the 10th eXXpedition mission and its most ambitious yet. With the

realisation that there is no silver bullet to solve this monumental problem,

the voyages, led by Emily Penn, aim to inspire women from a broad spectrum

of professions to dedicate their lives to finding solutions, creating an army of

ambassadors to transform our future.

 

This is a story of hope, filled with life, magic and a call to action that burns with

optimism.

One thousand miles from land. The closest humans orbit above in the space

station. A lone boat awakens to calm. Then, a fragment. Followed by a

toothbrush, a washing basket, a garden chair. Surface samples bring up

handfuls of tiny microplastics. Looking out over the ocean, a few pieces of

plastic float visibly in sight. But a realisation dawns – we’re looking at a dense soup of tiny pieces. The crew record an average of half a million pieces of

microplastics per square kilometre here, and that is only on the surface.

Who knows how much is in the 5000 metres of water beneath.

 

“We are about as far away from civilisation as one can get. Yet here, all around us, is evidence of our daily lives on land. Our choices. Our purchases. This is your old toothbrush, my empty shampoo bottle, the lid to his coffee cup.” – Michelle Byle, packaging designer

 

There are thought to be 500 times more pieces of microplastic in the sea than

stars in our galaxy. And every tiny fragment of plastic in the the Great Pacific

Garbage Patch has come from somewhere. Some things are so vast, complex

and far away that they seem impossible to grasp, and harder to recount.

But change is wrought through personal testimony, and heroes are made at sea.

X Trillion takes us aboard with the all-women crew of eXXpedition as they sail

out of their comfort zone and into the unknown, becoming witnesses to a global

problem and emerging transformed.

 

The scientist. The activist. The circular economist. The designer. From stargazers

to slide analysers, impossible problems call on us all. This is the story of a boat of

strangers in a vast ocean, cutting a course from despair to hope; through research, discussions and personal journeys. In a crew built of artists, engineers, teachers

and thinkers we find a floating model for moving forward.

Embarking upon the adventure with goals and motivations both personal and

professional, the crew members tackle extreme emotional and physical challenges. As we get to know our characters on the wild sea, relationships between them

develop through the daily rhythms of life aboard. We follow them as they gather

scientific data for ten international research projects, witnessing their emotional

highs and numbing lows as they uncover explosive truths about the impact of

toxics on our bodies – female bodies in particular – and come to terms with the

gaping holes in existing research.

 

From observational footage of life on board – freezing night shifts, seasickness

and solidarity – to sweeping documentation of the wilderness – soaring albatrosses and a pod of miraculous dolphins – X Trillion reframes the exploration narrative

to fit a contemporary crisis, where the untouched is untouched no longer.

First-hand accounts enable viewers to share in the incredible adventure of the

women who sailed right through the most catastrophic environmental disaster

created by humans, and to realise just what it will take to emerge at the other side.

 

The life of the film:

 

Once completed, the film will have its own journey - this is what we're aiming for...

 

- World Premiere to be announced

 

- Festival rounds - we'll be screening the film in international film festivals.

 

- Broadcast: We have a sales agent onboard who already has streamers and

broadcasters around the world excited to screen the film. This is a brilliant

way of getting the film seen by as many people as possible.

 

- Community and educational screenings: Alongside this, communities around

the UK and the world will be able to use the film for organised screenings.

We want as many people to see the film and to spark a debate.

 

WHY IS THIS STORY IMPORTANT NOW?

 

Stories about our environment are plastered all over the news daily and there is a

growing awareness of the need for change. But with that awareness is a deep

feeling of despair which often leads to paralysis.

 

This film is an inspiring, optimistic story for our times. It will not only show that a

better understanding of the problem and a multi-faceted collaboration can change the world, it will also inspire all people to get involved in whatever way they can

and will especially show young women, who are traditionally underrepresented,

that working in STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Maths) can help to

change the future of our planet!

 

 

This is a story of adventure, exploration, joy, wonder and possibilities for our future