Small Seed Films at the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development in New York

In May 2010 I was invited to take part in the 18th meeting of the Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD18) at the United Nations HQ in New York, to represent my uranium mining documentary, "Where the Clouds Come Home".

I was working with the CSD Education Caucus, a small but influential group concerned with Environmental Education in the broadest sense - not dealing just with schools and academia, but looking at questions of how we educate and empower citizens of all ages at all levels of society to make sound environmental choices for a sustainable future. Which is where things like film-making come in.

I was inspired by the amount of conversation taking place about the importance of culture in creating a sustainable future. It was recognised by many that writing policy and establishing global standards is necessary - and vital - but these cannot exist in isolation. A truly sustainable future depends on citizens being empowered to make sound environmental decisions. For this to be the case, we need not just a political paradigm shift but a cultural revolution which helps citizens recognise their own status as environmental decision-makers; a global conversation expressed through cultural and artistic output on what it means to work responsibly with our environment and each other for a sustainable future. As a film-maker I was encouraged to hear representatives at the United Nations call on cultural producers to contribute to this global conversation and to recognise their position of power in shaping our global future.

While the two-week intergovernmental meeting was taking place, NGOs and delegations organised a number of different side events to raise issues relevant to the discussions. I was invited to present the "Where the Clouds Come Home" trailer at three of these side events. The most prominent of these was organised by WECF (Women in Europe for a Common Future), on the affects of uranium mining on indigenous populations. WECF had gathered representatives from the Navajo Indians, Niger and Meghalaya to speak about the effects uranium mining has had on them and their people. I presented the trailer to provide a perspective from Meghalaya, and I'm pleased to say it was very well received. After my short presentation and a successful screening, Bremley Lyngdoh, who introduced me to the Meghalaya story and who features in the film, gave a presentation about his experiences and reflections.

In total during the fortnight I screened the trailer to around 200 including government officials, NGO representatives and potential future partners, received some very positive feedback, and made contact with some fantastic people. I'm excited by the potential this has opened up for not only this film but other, future projects, and I'm in discussion right now about raising funds through one of the organisations I met there. The challenge now will be to turn those opportunities into practical developments.

George slaying the nuclear dragon

Brooklyn Bridge

With friends at the top of the Empire State Building

TRAILER: Where the Clouds Come Home

After several long nights' editing (with co-producers Emily & Fritz chipping in from New Zealand and Austria - thanks be to Skype) I'm excited to reveal the trailer for our documentary project, "Where the Clouds Come Home".

How do you hold your ground when a government-backed corporation wants to tear it out from under you?
Members of a small tribe in the ‘Land Where the Clouds Come Home’ are offered a deal: to lease their land for uranium mining…or face the consequences. Whatever they decide, the fallout could be disastrous.

An international co-production between Small Seed Films (UK), Blue Moki Media (NZ) and Blue&Green Communication (Austria), "Where the Clouds Come Home" will be a 1-hour programme on the controversial plans to mine for uranium in Meghalaya, India.

1st Stills from "Where the Clouds Come Home"

Here are a few taster stills from the uranium mining documentary, "Where the Clouds Come Home":

Spillity Lyngdoh Langrin, who gave permission for uranium testing on her land 20 years ago. She lost her two daughters to mysterious diseases, which she blames on the pollution from the experimental mines.

Domiasiat, the village at the centre of the mining debate. The Indian government and UCIL want to mine here, but Spillity, the sole landowner, refuses to grant them access. Many other villages from the surrounding area have given their permission, believing mining will bring development. Spillity's land amounts to almost half of the area designated for mining.

Taking me to see the graves of their loved ones who died during the time of the experimental mining, the villagers told me, "we still feel their loss so deeply." These men buried siblings, children and grandchildren.

"Where the Clouds Come Home" shoot - Meghalaya, India

Back in November I travelled to Meghalaya, India, to shoot the first set of footage for our documentary project "Where the Clouds Come Home" - the story of open-cast uranium mining proposed in one of the poorest regions of the state. I'm pleased to be developing the film with Emily McDowell of Blue Moki Media, NZ.

Meeting Norman Syiem, one of the Khasi villagers opposing the controversial uranium mining proposed by the Indian government and Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL)

Resting after shooting in Domiasiat, the village at the center of the mining debate.