Carry Me Home from Barefoot Workshops.

Title: Carry Me Home
A Film By: David Wright and Susan Fritz
Produced By: Barefoot Workshops, Inc.
Instructors: Julie Winokur, Teddy Symes, Yoni Brook & Chandler Griffin
Sponsors by: Canon USA, Sennheiser, Bogen Imaging, Lowel, Litepanels
Created: February 2010, Clarksdale, Mississippi
Synopsis: A self-determined man confronts his past, is given a chance, and discovers the freedom to change on the Sunflower River.

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This was my first foray into documentary filmmaking and the experience was nothing short of remarkable. There were 12 students including myself, 4 incredible instructors with a plethora of experience and knowledge, and an endlessly helpful support staff composed of savvy locals and Delta Workshop alumni students.

Our home base was the Shack Up Inn in the Mississippi Delta. It was an ideal environment to learn, edit, eat, and sleep, although there was not much sleeping to be had after week 1! Thanks to all for making these 2 weeks beyond enjoyable.

I highly recommend Barefoot Workshops for documentary filmmaking and photography. For more information, visit Barefoot Workshops.

Thank you all for attending the exhibition, kind wishes, and unending support. It was an enormous success and absolutely packed for 3 hours. So great to see so many old and new friends!

Thanks Felicia, Ryan, and Carlo at AnastasiaPhoto; Chandler Griffin from A River Blue; Color Services for the exquisite framing; catering; family; friends; colleagues; and all the individuals from northern Uganda and A River Blue from which this work could not have been created without. I am indebted to you all.

If you have pictures from the opening, please send them to david (at) davidwrightphoto.com. I’d like to feature a few here.

Join us again Tuesday, March 16th at 6:30pm when Chandler Griffin, founder of A River Blue, and I present a conversation about northern Uganda and A River Blue.

Join and support us tonight, March 4th from 6:30-8:30PM for the opening reception of Uganda: A River Blue at AnastasiaPhoto in New York. The opening reception and exhibition are open to the public.

This work was created in January and February 2009 when I spent 2 months in northern Uganda photographing for A River Blue, a school providing psychosocial counseling and intense vocational training in topics like tailoring, agriculture, and arts to vulnerable youth.

A beautiful A River Blue catalogue designed by Josh Gomby and printed by Booksmart Studio in an edition of 200 will be released at the opening reception. The catalogue will be available through donations of any amount and 100% of the proceeds go to A River Blue.

Additionally, Chandler Griffin, founder of A River Blue, and I will give an artist’s talk Tuesday, March 16th, from 6:30-8:30PM at AnastasiaPhoto.

AnastasiaPhoto is located at 166 Orchard Street, New York, New York.

jónsi – “go quiet” from Jónsi.

“Go Quiet” is a film of Jónsi performing the “go” album acoustically, shot at home in Reykjavík, Iceland over new year 2010 by Dean Deblois, the acclaimed director of “Heima“.

I’m down in the Mississippi Delta for 1 more week attending Barefoot Workshops’ 2-week Mississippi Delta Workshop. The experience has been remarkable and in my opinion the best workshop environment for learning documentary film making.

Our instructors are Chandler Griffin, Julie Winokur, Teddy Symes, and Yoni Brook — all amazing individuals with a wealth of knowledge they have been sharing. Plus, we have the fotune of having previous workshop alums with us. Check out Barefoot’s website if you have ever wanted to learn and experience doc film making.

Fields, Clarksdale, Mississippi, 2010

I’m down in Clarksdale, Mississippi for the next 2 weeks at a documentary film making workshop presented by Barefoot Workshops. We’ll learn documentary story telling through video, film and sound capture, editing with Final Cut Pro, and more. Check out Barefoot if you have not already.

Here are a couple installation pictures of Uganda: A River Blue at AnastasiaPhoto. See the photographs if you’re in New York and join us March 4th from 6:30-8:30 P.M. for the opening reception.

Uganda: A River Blue

Reception: March 4, 6:30-8:30PM

Exhibition: February 5-March 31, 2010

AnastasiaPhoto is located at 166 Orchard Street, New York, New York.

From the press release:

“AnastasiaPhoto is pleased to present the first solo exhibition by photographer David Wright: A photographic collaboration with the NGO, A River Blue.

These luminous works were made over two months in northern Uganda where A River Blue is located. The photos depict a school that is funded by the charitable organization A River Blue in a formerly internally displaced persons camp, as well as images of the citizens and landscapes of the surrounding village of Alebtong. This series of photographs was recently selected as 1 of 3 winners in the 2009 Conscientious Portfolio Competition.”

Additionally:

A beautiful A River Blue catalogue designed by Josh Gomby and printed by Booksmart Studio in an edition of 250 will be released at the opening reception. It will be available for purchase through donation (any amount — your choice) and 100% of the proceeds go to A River Blue. Support A River Blue and take home a memorable piece of the exhibition. The picture below is of the booklet cover.

The opening reception and exhibition are open to the public. We encourage you to bring friends, family, and colleagues, and learn about A River Blue, northern Uganda, and AnastasiaPhoto.

Louie Palu is a photojournalist currently based in Afghanistan. I highly recommend watching his Unconventional Warfare podcast series created with the Atlantic as well as his Garmsir Marines series.

U.S. Marine Lcpl. Preston “Bukkake” Calkins © Louie Palu

While growing up I was allergic to common animals like dogs and cats. It was immensely difficult because I have always had a strong affection for animals. Wanting a dog but not being able to keep it inside because of my severe allergies, my father transformed our pool shed into a dog palace complete with tiled floors, electric heat, windows, insulation, doggie door, and fenced in area.

We started with our first dog, a yellow lab we named Buttercup. A few years later we added a second yellow lab and named her Sierra. I deeply loved Buttercup and Sierra but going away to college and later moving to Maine created large physical and emotional distances from them, and we saw each other less and less.

While living in Maine, my parents came for a summer visit and we went for a walk in the Camden Park. As the sun dipped beneath the horizon my parents began to explain that cancer had rapidly spread throughout Sierra, and that they had no choice but to put her to sleep, reliving her from her suffering.

Upon hearing this I began to feel very disconnected with her passing by not seeing her regularly. After watching this documentary I am able to better connect with her passing and identify with the emotions I was unable to feel for so long. May you find peace and connection with your family during this holiday season!

When I traveled to Uganda I worked with Chandler’s non-profit A River Blue, founded under the umbrella of Barefoot Workshops. Chandler is giving a lecture in Manhattan today that you do not want to miss. I will be in attendance so stop by, listen to Chandler’s great lecture, and say hello.

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October 25, 2009 2:30-4:00PM, Atlantic Theater Company Stage 2, Studio A, 330 W. 16th Street between 8th and 9th Aves, Take elevator to theater level

Barefoot Workshops founder Chandler Griffin, along with teachers and alumni, will show 10-minute documentaries from past Barefoot Workshops in the Mississippi Delta. Chandler will talk about the twice-yearly Mississippi Delta workshop, the 4-week South Africa workshop, and Barefoot’s other activities around the world.

Admission is a $5 donation to A RIVER BLUE, Barefoot’s amazing arts empowerment project for the children of Northern Uganda. (More info: www.ariverblue.org). Read an interview with Chandler here: http://www.actorslife.com/article.php?id=252

You must reserve in order to attend this presentation! To reserve please send an email with “Barefoot Presentation” in the subject line to Jennifer Tchiakpe at Jen@monologueaudition.com. Please include the number of reservations you would like, and include your first and last name.

Eunice, Alebtong, Uganda, 2009