The Money Stone
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The Money Stone
The Money Stone
The Money Stone
Website
Topics
Economy: Consumption
Environment: Pollution, Rivers
Human Development: Capacity Building, Education, International Cooperation, Labor, Poverty, Water/Sanitation
Politics: Globalization
Project Geography
International: Africa
Identity Niches
Budget
Raised to date: $25,000.00
Estimate to complete: $225,000.00
Total Estimated Budget: $250,000.00
The budget numbers above are accurate as of 04/30/2009
Status
Production
Media Type
Video
Project End Use
TV
Key Personnel
Paula Ely
Producer
Paula Ely has been involved in the entertainment industry since 1991, when she joined Carolco Television, the television production and syndication division of Carolco Pictures. After Carolco, Paula joined Kazmark Entertainment, where she oversees all of the company’s financial and personnel responsibilities and negotiates program acquisition agreements with leading production companies. Paula was an Executive Producer of a short film about the music of the Christmas season in Harlem entitled “Merry Christmas, Baby”, which has been entered into the permanent collection of New York’s Museum of Modern Art. She also oversaw the creation of Springbok Films, a division of Kazmark Entertainment created in 2002, and line produced its first feature, “The Enigma with a Stigma.” Paula later traveled to Botswana to produce the documentary “Vanishing Cultures: Bushmen of the Kalahari”, which has been screened at numerous film festivals and is being distributed by Filmmakers Library. The film was named “Best Documentary” at the Gulf Coast Film & Video Festival, and Paula received the “Best Producer” award at the La Femme Film Festival. In 2006 Paula produced and directed a fund-raising video for the non-profit organization PAWS/LA. She has recently joined director Stuart Harmon to produce his new documentary entitled “The Money Stone,” which explores the little-known world of illegal gold mining in Ghana.
Stuart Harmon
Director
The evolution of Stuart Harmon’s interest in documentary filmmaking started at an early age. Growing up, he found himself glued to the screen when the latest nature documentary came on public television, and at an early age had the opportunity to travel following the exploits of a mother who led tours throughout the cathedrals of Western Europe. Capitalizing on his interests in television, film and world cultures, he has now worked in broadcast production for over 10 years and continues to travel extensively through Africa, Europe, and Latin America. Stuart currently works in New York City as a director, cinematographer, and editor and has recently begun working in documentary film. He currently serves as a freelance cinematographer and editor in New York City. He has edited, directed and shot numerous commercial and industrial projects for clients including the New YorkCity Department of Health, the A&E network, Nokia, and Tylenol. He has also contributed to documentary projects for the non-profit organizations Interpeaceand the St. Camille Foundation. In May of 2004 he graduated summa cum laude with a degree in International Studies and continued his education by receiving a Masters of the Arts in journalism at New York University in January of 2007. "The Money Stone" is Stuart's first film.
Sabrina Schmidt Gordon
Editor
Sabrina Schmidt Gordon has been committed to documentary filmmaking for over a decade. Her editing debut garnered an Emmy for WGBH’s Greater Boston Arts series,and she has continued to distinguish herself as both a producer and editor,having worked on numerous award-winning documentaries for public television and cable. Most recently, she Co-Produced and edited the award-winning documentary,Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes, which received nationwide broadcast on Independent Lens, and has become part of a national dialogue. Other PBS projects include An American Love Story, A Place of Our Own, Soldiers WithoutSwords, Liberian Democracy: A Journey Back Home and Ralph Bunch: An AmericanOdyssey, to name a few.
Outreach/Engagement Plan(s)
The website www.moneystonefilm.com, along with our bi-monthly newsletter, is already becoming a resource for those seeking to learn more about the human price of gold. Several organizations have expressed interest in partnering with the production team to bring this important documentary to those empowered to create change in the mining industry. We intend to hold screenings of the film as well as to continue to expand the website to shed light on this little-known but vitally important issue so that policymakers and consumers alike can work to improve the lives of small-scale miners worldwide.
Funders
| Name | Amount | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York State Council for the Arts | $17,000.00 | 01/05/2009 |
Location
PO Box 620149
Woodside, CA, 94062
Short Synopsis
"The Money Stone", a new documentary film, illuminates the personal stories behind the dangerous and little-known world of Ghana's galamsey gold mines.
Description/Treatment
"The Money Stone", a new one-hour documentary film, is a complex human and socio-economic story that follows the trail of gold from small-scale mine to market, chronicling the human stories behind an underground industry that has become one of the largest human rights and environmental issues of our time. Four hundred feet below the red soil of Ghana, West Africa, men with pickaxes and shovels follow an ephemeral seam of gold like ants in a mound. Most of these "galamsey" miners enter the dangerous profession of illegal gold mining for the same reason – quick money in a nation stricken by poverty and the perpetual search for work. Despite the imminent danger o fbeing buried underground or poisoned by the mercury used in the purification process, thousands continue to flock to the industry. Interviews with a chorus of experts, from academia to government to environmental groups provide a global perspective on the devastating environmental and health consequences of small-scale mining, while throughout the film we return to the personal stories of three young men who have made the risky decision to pursue a living in the galamsey mines. Justice, a 20-year-old digger, climbs down a four-foot-square hole to pull gold-laden quartz rock out of the earth, eager to earn quick cash and go to trade school. Abdul, a 23 year-old miller,enjoys owning a galamsey mill because of the prosperity it has brought to his life but is unaware of the dangers that the dust and the mercury used to purify the gold pose to his health. Emmanuel, 19, joins a galamsey refinery in hopes of one day abandoning the job and going to university. Meanwhile, large mining concessions are handed to foreign conglomerates that experience the galamsey as illegal trespassers and lobby for harsh restrictions on their activity. At the same time, international organizations are fighting to establish “fair-trade” gold standards to inform consumers, help the miners, and reduce the environmental impact. This film sheds light on the human cost of one of the world’s most desired resources. Production is 75% complete, and the editing process is well under way. A follow-up visit to the galamsey camp is planned and completion funds are needed for remaining filming and post-production work.
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