Proposal for a documentary film

The Letters Project was originally conceived as a response to religious and political strife in the Middle East. Now, as the extent of Islamophobia grows, the need for a response has increased.

The Project's thesis:
Cooperation and trust can exist naturally among Muslims, Jews, and Christians.

The Letters Project will make its case through the example of three uniquely talented artists: Karen Gorst, Neil Yerman, and Mohamed Zakariya. They are calligraphers whose work has brought them to religious themes. While they share similar talents, it is their differences that make their friendship a compelling subject for a film: each is a scribe working within a different religious faith: Karen works with Christian themes, Neil writes Torah, and Mohamed works with ancient Islamic texts.

A Major Work of Art

The centerpiece of the film will be a work created by the scribes, in the form of a scroll, based on themes common to the three Abrahamic faiths. Designed to display fully opened, the scroll will have the impact of a painting when seen from a distance, with increasing interest and complexity as the viewer comes near enough to read the text. Calligraphic scripts in Hebrew, Arabic, English, Latin, and Spanish will weave together in a way that has never been attempted by any other artists.

The film will open with the inception meeting. Here the artists take the first steps toward agreeing on the appearance of the scroll. This meeting demands great sensitivity, and will illustrate the spirit of cooperation needed in approaching an interfaith art project. The decisions they make must honor the traditions of each faith as well as the creative processes of the individual artists.

The narrative of the scroll will be the story of Abraham, Isaac, Sarah, Ishmael, and Hagar. This a particularly appropriate subject for an interfaith work given that Abraham, through his sons, is the progenitor, or founding father, of both the Hebrew and Arab people. (see Notes on the Scroll).

Q & A

The work of creating the text and accompanying illuminations will be filmed for "B" roll, but the body of the documentary will be Q+A sessions filmed in a synagogue, a church and a Mosque. Questions will come from members of the different congregations — some will be friendly, some not. Members of interfaith organizations will be invited to take part, as well as bloggers whose anti-Islamic positions are a matter of record. There will be those who claim that the work is irrelevant, those who will be offended by seeing the traditional script of their religion sharing space with competing scripts, and those for whom distrust of other religious forms can not be overcome.

What will keep this forum from becoming just another Sunday morning panel discussion will be the personae of the scribes. They are not experts in geopolitics; nor are they religious scholars. For them, the different and sometimes conflicting aspects of their religious backgrounds are points of interest to be explored. The commonality of the letters, words, and stories in the ancient texts are remarkable, but it is the differences that lead to the most interesting discussions, and new understandings of the others' faith.

Our goal is to offer people hope and a different way of looking at the problem; to suggest a different way of thinking; to reconsider old assumption.

About the Artists
(samples of work can be seen at their individual websites)

Karen Gorst is a calligrapher and curator with a global reputation for her work illuminating religious manuscripts and medieval books. Working in Latin, English, and Spanish, her work has become an important source of material for historians and dealers of antique books.

Neil Yerman is a calligrapher, artist, and educator. Neil inscribes Torah, and has a special understanding of the physical Torah itself, as well as the letters and words it contains.

Mohamed Zakariya is an American born calligrapher who studied at the Research Center for Islamic Art, History, and Culture. His studies led him to become the first Westerner to earn two licenses in Islamic Calligraphy.

Notes on the Scroll

In the Old Testament version of the Isaac/Ishmael story, Abraham's wife, Sarah, was unable to conceive a child. It was acceptable for a servant to serve as a surrogate wife, so their maid, Hagar, gave birth to Abraham's son, Ishmael. Some years later, Sarah miraculously gave birth to a son, Isaac. Sarah became concerned about the birthrights of her son, and as friction and jealously grew in the household, Sarah convinced Abraham to banish Hagar and Ishmael to the wilderness. Hagar wondered through the desert, searching for water, as she and her son grew close to death. God hears their prayers and intervenes. Isaac and Ishmael eventually reunite years later to bury their father. Isaac follows the beliefs of his father and becomes the first leader of the Jewish religion.

Ishmael also holds to monotheism and becomes a central figure in the revelations that ultimately become the Qur'an. In the Old Testament, Isaac becomes a symbol of Abraham's commitment to God when the story turns to Abraham's willingness, at God's command, to sacrifice his only remaining son.

In the Qur'an, Isaac is mentioned, but it is Abraham and Ishmael who rebuild the sacred structure called the Ka'Aba in Mecca. In this version of the story, it is Ishmael who is nearly sacrificed. In a dream, Abraham is commanded to sacrifice his son. He later tells Ishmael about the dream, and Ishmael declares his willingness to be sacrificed.

Both these narratives relate to Christianity through the concept of sacrifice, but with a significant difference. In the stories of Isaac and Ishmael, God calls for a sacrifice as a way of determining Abraham's commitment to Him. In the New Testament, it is God who is willing to sacrifice His only son as a means to prove His love for the people He created.

In addition to the narrative, the scribes will select key phrases or lessons from the three faiths. These will be written large and will be the first words a reader sees, even when encountering the scroll from a distance. Possible examples:

from the Qur'an
We believe in God and that which has been revealed to us; in what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the tribes; to Moses and Jesus and the other prophets by their Lord. We make no distinction among any of then, and to Him we submit. 2:136

from Old Testament
Have we not all one father? Did not one God create us? Why do we break faith with one another...? Malachi 2:10

from New Testament
Then Jesus cried out, "Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people." -Titus 2:11

 

ABOUT the FILM

Out Here in the Fields:

Three Stories of Preservation

. As a steward of these local fields, I love to converse as part of the community of soil, seeds, plants, and animals, but vital also is the conversation we have created as a community of people exploring an ethic.
            Scott Chaskey, Quail Hill Preserve Manager

. Land trusts work with communities to save America's land heritage by helping land owners find ways to protect their land.
            The Land Trust Alliance

. Real success is found in conservation's contribution to restoring our common wealth - the natural, social, civic and economic assets held in common for the well-being of all community members.
            The Center for Whole Communities

. Education is a critical component to any conservation program.

. If we truly want to preserve the heritage of Eastern Long Island, we must work together towards protecting both the land and those who work it within the context of our fundamental values and beliefs.
            John v.H. Halsey - President, Peconic Land Trust

. If you know wilderness in the way that you know love, you would be unwilling to let it go. We are talking about the body of the beloved, not real estate.
            Terry Tempest Williams

Out Here in the Fields

    It may take a poet or a painter to define the beauty of a place, but we recognize it through our own emotional response. Sometimes, a shoreline, a field or a forest can be so compelling in its beauty that we set it aside and agree on guidelines to govern its use, hoping that beauty can be protected.

    Concerns about how we utilize and protect our land are rising in America, but on the south fork of Long Island these issues have become paramount. The Hamptons are blessed with exquisite wetlands and open fields of potato and corn; but the area is easily accessible from New York City, and this has affected the rural character of the east end communities in unprecedented ways.

    Historically, the fuel that powers America's economy has been the country's seemingly endless natural resources. Wilderness became settlements, and settlements became towns surrounded by agricultural lands. Early in the process of developing the country came the recognition that a balance had to be found between creating places for people to live and preserving some of the scenic beauty that makes living worthwhile.

    On a national scale, our government created parks to preserve large tracts of land for recreation and wildlife. However, local and regional economies continued to rely on development to create growth and serve the populace. On Long Island, suburban sprawl spread eastward from the city until a tipping point was reached, and people began to recognize that the benefits of suburban living came at an ever increasing price.

    The Peconic Land Trust was founded over twenty years ago in response to the lose of our wetlands, farmland, and forests. The Trust works with private land owners and local governments, finding ways to balance growth and conservation that have resulted in the protection of thousands of acres for the benefit of the community and landowners.

    The success of the Trust has been told through color coded maps, descriptions of donated parcels of land, and yearly tallies of acreage saved. While maps and graphs can provide a measure of progress, they do not give a full picture of the process that leads a family or an individual to preserve their land for future generations. While statistics are impressive, they are not inspirational. The facts alone do not tell the story of land preservation on Long Island.

    Is there a nexus, a point in common, between private land owners, the communities who benefit from opened space, and those who work to preserve land? The answer will be the central thesis of a series of documentaries to be produced by Eastern Life Films in association with the Peconic Land Trust. Whether you call it a personal connection to land, the human relationship with land, or the bond between land and people; the concept is central to land preservation. These films, produced under the project title Out Here in the Fields, will present site specific stories of land that has been successfully protected. The films will look into the thoughts and connections to land that bring individuals and families to the realization that preservation not only serves the public good, but can also bring tremendous personal satisfaction.

    Every parcel of saved land has its own story and visual character, so the process of selecting subjects must include a number of criteria: history, present and future use, motivations of the owners, and aesthetics.

. Shellfisher Preserve - This is the site of the former Shelter Island Oyster Company. The property includes a unique aquaculture facility that is managed by the Peconic Land Trust in conjunction with the Cornell Cooperative Extension Marine Program. This historically significant location, donated by the Plock family, is now a fully functional shell fish hatchery bringing new life to Southold Bay.

. Quail Hill Farm - Organic farming invites intimacy with the land on this 30 acre farm donated by Sag Harbor resident Deborah Ann Light. Members of the co-op share in the harvest of fruit, vegetables, and flowers, and volunteer to help with other projects like cider pressing. Quail Hill is a model of community supported agriculture that lets the public participate in the stewardship of protected land.

. The Babinski Farm - The Peconic Land Trust encouraged an effort that raised $2 million and allowed a neighborhood to partner with East Hampton Town in the purchase of development rights to 19 acres near the ocean. While the Babinski family continues to farm this land, the neighbors and PLT jointly hold the development rights and right of first refusal in an outright sale of the property. This grass-roots endeavor, of 64 households, illustrates the power of the human relationship to land.

     The basic format of the documentaries will be compelling visuals combined with spoken commentary. As these stories unfold, the audience will find their own connection to the places we film. Out Here in the Fields will let an audience experience land preservation through the thoughts and emotions of those who have made that choice. The sound track will come from conversations with people who have donated land, people who work and manage the land, and those at the Peconic Land Trust who guide others through the process.

    We will talk to government representatives about programs that support land preservation, and to individuals such as artists, hikers, and others who seek to connect to the land. The thoughts of our artists are important because the films will make the point that visual character is a significant part of what makes a place valuable to the community. It isn't simply that we enjoy open space, but that appreciation comes, in part, from how we use the space and how we see it being used. We might like to photograph an opened field, but if the field has a working tractor or grazing horses, we connect to it on a different level.

    The documentary will be photographed on 35mm color negative, digitally edited, and finished in the High Definition format. Digital editing will facilitate the creation of DVD's for the educational and rental markets. Eastern Life Films will actively promote the films for classroom and library use on Long Island and with land preservation organizations on a national level. Our approach to film festivals will be to take one film from the series and create a 35mm print for festival competition. Given reasonable success in the festival circuit, the film should attract national or regional interest for commercial broadcast. Long term, the film's purpose is to serve the land preservation movement as an educational and fund raising tool. The budget for the three film series is forty five thousand dollars. The company has been awarded a ten thousand dollar grant from the State of New York through the office of Assemblyman Fred Thiele. Eastern Life Films is seeking donations from the private sector to complete funding of this project.

May 1st, 2007 -

Eastern Life Films, Inc. establishes an internet presence at www.easternlifefilms.org.

September 23rd, 2006 -

Corporation receives and deposits initial check of $7,500 re: NY State Grant.

July 13th, 2006 -

Eastern Life Films, Inc. signs contract #TM05082-1 with N.Y .State Dep. of Environmental Conservation for $10,000 grant awarded by Assemblyman Thiele.

August 1st, 2005 -

Eastern Life Films, Inc. awarded $10,000 member item grant through he office of State Assemblyman Fred Thiele - member of the Environmental Conservation Committee.

March 10th, 2005 -

IRS recognizes Eastern Life Films, Inc. as tax exempt under section 501(c)3 of the tax code.

June 17th, 2003 -

Corporation certified in the State of New York

The corporation's board members all reside in the Hamptons area, they are:

Mark Belhumeur -Mark is the High Definition expert and manager for VER in New York. VER is a world leader in professional video rental equipment. Mark and his family live in Springs, East Hampton.

Christopher D. Kelly - A partner in the law firm Twomey, Latham, Shea, Kelly, Dubin, Real & Quartararo LLP, Chris served for 19 years as the chairman of the East Hampton Town Democratic Committee and is a former chairman of the East Hampton Town Zoning Board. He is currently president of the Springs School Board. Chris, his wife Nancy and their two sons live in Springs, East Hampton.

Stephen Munshin -Stephen is a publisher of two regional food magazines, Edible East End and Edible Brooklyn in addition to his work as Director of New Member Services for their parent organization Edible Communities, an information service that creates community based, local foods publications around the world. Stephen lives in Sag Harbor with his wife Lindsey and their two sons.

Nancy G. Nagle -A graduate of New York University, Nancy is a Certified Social Worker with a practice in psychoanalysis. She and her husband Bill have lived in East Hampton for the past 30 years.

Bruce Nalepinski -Bruce is a producer and director with over 25 years of experience in every form of television and filmed entertainment. He produced Half Past Autumn - The Life and Works of Gordon Parks for HBO, which was nominated for three Emmy Awards. He has been honored with many awards including an Emmy and a Cine' Golden Eagle. Bruce lives in East Hampton with his wife Fran Donovan.

The corporation's president and filmmaker is Alec Hirschfeld. A member of the Director's Guild of America and the International Cinematographer's Guild, he has over 30 years of experience as a cameraman for theatrical films and television. A complete list of his credits can be found on the internet at www.imdb.com.