Benín, el crepúsculo de los niños esclavo. EL DOCUMENTAL

Finished 06 / 08 / 2021
Funded!
Received
$ 22,557
Minimum
$ 10,000
Optimum
$ 52,735
289 Co-financiers
Channel
  • Contributing $ 1

    Thanks!

    We are aware that there are people who cannot cope with large outlays and we want everyone to be part of the documentary. Anyone who makes a contribution, no matter how small, will appear on the credit titles.

    > 12 Co-financiers
  • Contributing $ 32

    Discover the stories of the main characters

    • Online viewing
    • Image Bank
    • Credit titles

    You will be able to access our preview online.

    > 69 Co-financiers
  • Contributing $ 42

    Abono para MajorDocs

    Tu gasto real será de 8 € si donas desde España.*

    • Abono para 4 proyecciones en MajorDocs 2021
    • Visionado online
    • Banco de imágenes
    • Títulos de crédito

    Consigue un abono para poder acceder a 4 proyecciones de MajorDocs, el festival internacional de cine documental en Mallorca.

    *Por esta aportación de 40 €, Hacienda te devuelve 32 € en tu declaración de la renta. Descubre cómo funciona aquí: Calculadora fiscal

    > 05 Co-financiers
  • Contributing $ 42

    Abono para Mostra OUT!

    Tu gasto real será de 8 € si donas desde España.*

    • Abono para 4 proyecciones en Mostra OUT! 2021
    • Visionado online
    • Banco de imágenes
    • Títulos de crédito

    Consigue un abono para poder acceder a 4 proyecciones de Mostra OUT!, la muestra de cine LGTBIQ+ de las Islas Baleares.

    *Por esta aportación de 40 €, Hacienda te devuelve 32 € en tu declaración de la renta. Descubre cómo funciona aquí: Calculadora fiscal

    > 03 Co-financiers
  • Contributing $ 53

    Talk to the directors

    • Online meeting with the documentary crew
    • Online viewing
    • Image Bank
    • Credit titles

    You will be able to participate in an online meeting with the directors of the documentary and the rest of the crew.

    > 46 Co-financiers
  • Contributing $ 105

    Access to unplublished footage

    • Extra material
    • Online meeting with the documentary crew
    • Online viewing
    • Image Bank
    • Credit titles

    You will access all the extra material that does not have a place in the documentary. Interviews and unpublished sequences of the filming.

    > 46 Co-financiers
  • Contributing $ 137

    Inauguración Atlàntida Mallorca Film Fest

    Tu gasto real será de 26 € si donas desde España.*

    • Entrada doble inauguración AMFF 2021
    • Encuentro online con el equipo del documental
    • Material extra
    • Visionado online
    • Banco de imágenes
    • Títulos de crédito

    Consigue una entrada doble para la inauguración del Atlàntida Mallorca Film Fest 2021 con el estreno de "El ventre del mar", lo último de Agustí Villaronga.

    *Por esta aportación de 130 €, Hacienda te devuelve 104 € en tu declaración de la renta. Descubre cómo funciona aquí:Calculadora fiscal

    > 02 Co-financiers
  • Contributing $ 158

    Festival Pass Evolution! Mallorca International Film Fest

    Tu gasto real será de 30 € si donas desde España.*

    • Acreditación doble para el EMIFF 2021
    • Encuentro online con el equipo del documental
    • Material extra
    • Visionado online
    • Banco de imágenes
    • Títulos de crédito

    Consigue una acreditación doble para el Evolution! Mallorca International Film Fest 2021 (Incluye acceso para dos personas a todas las proyecciones, al Producers Club y a las galas de inauguración y clausura).

    *Por esta aportación de 150 €, Hacienda te devuelve 120 € en tu declaración de la renta. Descubre cómo funciona aquí: Calculadora fiscal

    > 02 Co-financiers
  • Contributing $ 158

    DIRECTORS COMPLETE PACK

    • Online viewing of ‘Gas the Arabs’ + digital poster of ‘GAZA’ + image bank
    • Online meeting with the documentary team
    • Extra material
    • Online viewing
    • Image Bank
    • Credit titles

    You will be able to access the online viewing of the documentary ‘Gas the Arabs’ (extended version of ‘GAZA’) and we will send you the digital poster of ‘GAZA’ with the image bank of the project in Palestine so that you can view and download it.

    > 23 Co-financiers
  • Contributing $ 211

    Yo tengo un cine

    Tu gasto real será de 62,50 € si donas desde España.*

    • Un año de socia/o de CineCiutat con todas sus ventajas
    • Encuentro online con el equipo del documental
    • Material extra
    • Visionado online
    • Banco de imágenes
    • Títulos de crédito

    Siendo socio de CineCiutat puedes beneficiarte de 12 entradas gratuitas, resto de entradas a 4€, descuentos en eventos y alquileres de sala y ¡ser dueño de un cine!.

    *Por esta aportación de 200 €, Hacienda te devuelve 137,50 € en tu declaración de la renta. Descubre cómo funciona aquí: Calculadora fiscal

    > 02 Co-financiers
  • Contributing $ 263

    Join us for the premiere!

    • 2 invitations for the Premiere + Video experience directors
    • Online viewing of ‘Gas the Arabs’ + digital poster of ‘GAZA’ + image bank
    • Online meeting with the documentary crew
    • Extra material
    • Online viewing
    • Image Bank
    • Credit titles

    With this contribution you will become part of the family of this project and you will be able to attend with your 2 invitations to the special event in cinemas where we will premiere the documentary. You will also receive a video in which the directors will discuss the experience of filming in Benin.

    > 09 Co-financiers
  • Contributing $ 368

    Anuncia tu empresa/entidad en CineCiutat

    Tu gasto real será de 160 € si donas desde España.*

    • Anuncio en CineCiutat
    • Visionado online
    • Banco de imágenes
    • Títulos de crédito

    Anuncia tu empresa o entidad con un comercial de 20 segundos en 1 sala de CineCiutat durante 1 mes en las sesiones de cartelera de estreno (no incluye producción del anuncio, ni conversión a formato DCP).

    *Por esta aportación de 350 €, Hacienda te devuelve 190 € en tu declaración de la renta. Descubre cómo funciona aquí: Calculadora fiscal

    > 01 Co-financiers
  • Contributing $ 474

    One of the family

    • 4 invitations to the Premiere + special thanks
    • Video experience directors
    • Online viewing of ‘Gas the Arabs’ + digital poster of ‘GAZA’ + image bank
    • Online meeting with the documentary crew
    • Extra material
    • Online viewing
    • Image Bank
    • Credit titles

    With this contribution you will become part of the family of this project and you will be able to attend with your 4 invitations to the special event in cinemas where we will premiere the documentary. Your name will also appear on the special thanks and you will receive a video in which the directors will discuss the experience of filming in Benin.

    > 02 Co-financiers
  • Contributing $ 1,053

    collaborator

    For this great contribution, the logo of your company or association will appear in the credit titles as a donor .

    > 00 Co-financiers
  • Contributing $ 1,579

    engaged - free screening with the crew

    For this great contribution, the logo of your entity will appear on the credit titles as a donor and you will have the possibility of making a free screening with the presence of the directors and / or part of the crew .

    > 00 Co-financiers
  • Contributing $ 3,158

    Associated production

    For this great contribution, the logo of your entity will appear on all graphic materials as an associate producer and you will have the possibility of making a free screening with the presence of the directors and / or part of the crew and a photographic exhibition ** with the images of the documentary project.

    > 00 Co-financiers

About this project

2 years ago we carried the voice of Palestine thanks to your support. Now we need you to show the reality of Beninese childhood.

Needs Task Minimum Optimum
Flights and equipment transport
Flights and equipment transport
$ 3,158
Fixer and translator.
Destined to have a guide that gives us access to the different stories and communities, as well as to act as a translator to be able to interact with them.
$ 2,105
Accommodation and meals
Accommodation and meals for all the crew and the local companions.
$ 3,158
Web & social media
Realization of a website and start-up of Social Networks, with a small advertising budget.
$ 1,579
Administrative expenses and commissions
Expenses derived from both the management of permits and commissions, as well as the implementation of Crowdfunding.
$ 4,737
Translation and subtitling
Intended for translators and their conversion into subtitles in different languages and formats.
$ 2,632
Guide and car
Rental prices in this area are quite expensive and some sections have to be done with guide drivers.
$ 3,789
Original Soundtrack
Carrying out the OST.
$ 3,158
Sound post production
Making the correction and cleaning of the sound of the documentary
$ 4,210
Image grading
Color correction and other technical needs of the post-production phase.
$ 2,105
Editing
Making the film assembly.
$ 3,158
Equipment rental
Rental of equipment and materials for recording.
$ 3,158
Promotion and distribution
Destined to publicize the documentary and try to get the media and festivals to provide informative coverage. This is the most expensive part, but, at the same time, the most necessary so that the documentary can reach as many people as possible.
$ 7,368
Unforeseen expenses
This is one of the hardest parts to calculate. It is through which we will finance that there are no "problems", that certain officials "give us a hand", have "access" to different places. And many more things in quotes.
$ 4,210
Pilot and drone rental
Two days of recording.
$ 1,053
Entitlement
Copyrights, reproduction, stock images, etc.
$ 1,579
Registration in festivals
Cover registration costs for festivals
$ 1,579
Total $ 10,000 $ 52,735
Necessary
Supplemental

General information

Benin, witch children and slave children . A turn of the screw against the prejudices and stigmas of black Africa. An intimate look at one of the poorest countries in the world in the bowels of the most forbidden in Africa . Different boys and girls will narrate in the first person how they face their present and future, without losing sight of their past.

Resume

Benin, the main port in Africa from which slave ships departed for more than 300 years, relives this sad reality in the 21st century. Being one of the poorest countries in the world and with an average age of just over 17 years old, the sale of children has become a common practice in the country. It is estimated that about 40,000 boys and girls are sold or “given away” every year. In some cases, these children end up in the hands of mafias and organizations that exploit their labor in the mines and fields of Nigeria, at best. Many of these children are sexually exploited and there is even a large market for trade in organs, used both for illegal transplants and for rituals in the area.
In the same way, some traditions, such as that of the witch children, have a strong impact on the girls and boys of the country. In some areas and guided by a perverse interpretation of tradition, when a baby is born with an anomaly (it comes on its back during childbirth, has teeth at birth, falls to the ground when leaving or multiple other reasons) it is considered a witch child . These children who are supposed to carry “bad” spirits, in short, they carry bad luck for the family and the town, they are murdered at birth or hopefully they have to live with the stigma of being responsible for everything bad that happens around them. rest of his life. Normally, if children have managed to survive, they are killed when something serious happens in their environment.
But not everything is that macabre side of some traditions. Beninese youth face great challenges and have been able to improve their life prospects for the coming years. A social fabric and relationships have been generated that see their present and future with another look, without losing sight of their past. It is a generation that is torn between tradition and globalization, between poverty and the difficulty to develop due to lack of resources. This documentary aims to give a voice to the children of Benin , a generation that vindicates itself and looks with great interest at the future and the transformation of the country.

Some situations and characters.

  • The open pit mines. The large mines are one of the places that houses the most child slaves. Cheap labor is a great claim for companies, in many cases transnational, that benefit from these children to extract the minerals. The so-called "flintstones" are children who spend day after day extracting minerals from living rock.

  • The Cotonou market , one of the main cities in the country, is one of the largest in the area. In it, many children are exploited for work, with symbolic wages, sleeping in the streets, unable to attend school and with major health and safety problems. Working from sunrise to sunset, in many cases being bought from their parents, who due to poverty cannot take care of them. One of our protagonists will tell us about his life in this market, we will witness how the social fabric and some organizations manage to help these boys and girls to get out of this reality.

  • In Ouidah , as an example of what happens in many rural areas of the country, some babies are considered as witch children from birth. The fact that they are considered that way is very diverse, like their way of growing up or some "anomalous" sign at birth. Some of them are murdered at birth or mistreated and blamed for all the ills of the community. This practice, although residual, is one of the great challenges that humanitarian organizations and different administrations face. To do this, we will accompany one of these children and her families to learn first-hand their reasons and consequences.

  • Lake Ahemé , one of the largest in the country, is home to local fishermen. We will be able to see how women and girls develop their work and seek to achieve a better position within the community. We will enter the formidable family relationships, with very broad and developed structures, which treat all members as children or siblings.

  • The north of the country is one of the most interesting areas, with large expanses of jungle and a much more rural population than in the south. We will see the unique and deeply rooted traditions of this area, its customs and its way of life. We will also see how many boys and girls try to reach the south, to the big cities with the dream of achieving a better life. This dream is always truncated by reality.

Main features and goals of the crowdfunding campaign

The documentary aims to show one of the multiple realities of Sub-Saharan Africa. From a social perspective, it shows the situation of youth in Benin, as well as the challenges they face. The children themselves will be the protagonists who tell us about their experiences, following in their footsteps in their day-to-day life. From the most terrible cases, how in some cases they face poverty or slavery, to their new hopes and how they struggle to maintain their traditions with a better quality of life. A country that in recent years has achieved high schooling, an improvement in its living conditions and great social and political stability, which now faces the challenges of improving the future prospects of its childhood. A country that has an average age of 17 years, with 5 children per woman and a life expectancy of 61 years, which gives us a clear idea of ​​the situation and the difficulties to develop.

We are aware of the difficulties of implementing such an ambitious project with such a risky theme. That is why we do it. Difficulties are what normally make this type of subject remain silent. In addition to being topics that large production companies tend to see as not very profitable (and it is true, they are not profitable) the added risks of the trip mean that they are almost never carried out.

We have opted to finance the project through Crowdfunding because we believe that social projects must have a previously generated fabric. This fabric is the one that we hope will make the cofinanciers feel participants and the subject to be discussed will have a greater journey. Ultimately, our intention with this documentary is for it to be seen by as many people as possible , we all know that very few social-themed documentaries reach broad spectra of the population. One of the strengths of this project are the people involved in it. We are all clear about the need to record this issue and we have the absolute conviction that the documentary must be released so that everyone has access to it.

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Why this is important

Our main motivation is to make known the reality of childhood in Benin . Being able to graphically document what is happening and that the general public can become aware of and know the present and future of these girls and boys. We are moved by the fact that the situation in Africa is completely silenced, we hardly know anything beyond a very negative vision derived from the cinematographic tradition. The image we have of these countries is completely distorted and we believe it is of great importance to ensure that the people of the country themselves tell us about their day to day life. Also to be able to bring to light some social issues that, on the other hand, are invisible and anachronistic.

This documentary is aimed mainly at those people who are not directly involved in any cause that affects this part of the world. We are aware that this sector of the population is the majority, so we want to obtain an intimate and attractive documentary that manages to awaken in them enough empathy and sensitivity so that they are aware of what Beninese childhood faces. The young public is our priority, since it is they who must begin to create a mentality that manages to eradicate some practices and can focus on these forgotten countries in the "West".

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Team and experience

Julio Pérez del Campo

Graduated in Environmental Protection from the University of Ireland in 2004 and in Environmental Sciences from the URJC in 2005. After several years working as a professor at different institutes in Castilla-La Mancha and at UNED, and several courses in direction and direction of photography, decided to specialize with the Master in Documentary and New Formats from the URJC. Since then he has made various documentaries such as Christmask, Self-portrait, La levedad y la Jara, YHWH or La sangre, la tierra (selected at MIFEC). As director of the documentary Galerías, he was the winner of the Best International Documentary Award at the FENACIES National Student Film Festival (Uruguay), winner of the Best Spanish Short Film Award at the Montecatini International Short Film Festival (Italy) and selected at various international festivals such as the FICVI , VOFF, FCIP, MACS and some more. Later he made two micro-films with his partner Carles Bover: Camino and Lezione di italiano. The latter was part of the official section of the 2015 European Audiovisual Creation Contest. He has directed and produced, together with Carles Bover, his first documentary feature film, about the situation in Gaza after the Israeli bombing in the summer of 2014, entitled Gas The Arabs and the short film Gaza, winner of the Goya award for best documentary short film 2019 . He is currently in the final post-production phase of the documentary Plastisfera, on the flows and impact of microplastics around the world.

Carles Bover

Born in Palma in September 1991, he has a degree in Audiovisual Communication and is specialized with a Master in Documentary and Trained Walnuts and in Audiovisual Distribution and Marketing. In 2014, he made his first social report on the educational inclusion of people with cerebral palsy, entitled ‘Inclusió amb data de caducitat’, which was the winner of the 5th Alberta Giménez Journalism Award as the best audiovisual social report.
In 2015, Carles Bover began with his first documentary short film, ‘Listen to my gaze,’ as a producer, director and scriptwriter of his own project. The short film won the award for Best Green Shooting Short Film in the PalmaActiva competition and the Palma City Council. In addition, he was selected in other film festivals such as the Abycine International Film Festival or the Art Jove Short Film Competition 2016. This same year, he was chosen as a Jury representing Spain in the Venice Days selection of the Venice Film Festival organized by Europe Cinemas, Lux Film Prize and the European Parliament.
In 2017 he co-produced and co-directed with Julio Pérez his first documentary feature film ‘Gas the Arabs’ (2018), for which he has written the original script, about the situation in the Gaza Strip after the last bombing by the Israeli army. The feature film premiered in cinemas and cultural circuits on April 20, 2018 and has been broadcast in several countries through channels such as TeleSur, Al Jazeera or Hispan TV. In addition, he has produced, written and directed with Julio Pérez his latest short film entitled ‘GAZA’ (2017), which has been the winner of several awards, including the Goya 2019 award for Best Documentary Short Film . As well as it has also been selected in more than thirty-five festivals and has been screened more than a hundred times, both nationally and internationally.
Currently, he has produced and directed his first solo documentary feature entitled ‘Creative Destruction of a city’. The documentary deals with the expulsion suffered in cities as a result of gentrification processes and touristification as a backdrop and is now available at [Filmin] (https://www.filmin.es/pelicula/destruccio-creativa -duna-ciutat? origin = searcher & origin-type = primary).

Rafael del Olmo

Telecommunications engineer, sound designer, music composer and founder of Woofer8 - Audio Services. He began to study piano when he was 4 years old, he switched to violin at 8 and finally ended up on guitar at 14. He has recorded studio albums, worked as a live musician on his own projects and for other artists such as Mónica Naranjo; as an audio artist in video games of the Star Wars: Battlefront, Mass Effect, Battlefield or FIFA sagas; and composed music for documentaries, escape games and videogames.

Cecilia Sánchez Benz

Founding partner of El Retorno Producciones , from which they have carried out the production of different works in the field of television, documentary and advertising, among which the short film Gaza stands out, with which in 2019 they win the Goya for Best Documentary Short Film, directed by Julio Pérez and Carles Bover.

Additional questions:

Our intention is to hire people on the ground to help us develop both the technical and logistical work. We believe it is very important to find people from the country so that in a certain way

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Social commitment

Sustainable Development Goals

  • No poverty

    Economic growth must be inclusive to provide sustainable jobs and promote equality.

  • Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

    Access to justice for all, and building effective, accountable institutions at all levels.

  • Life On Land

    Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss

  • Climate Action

    Climate change is a global challenge that affects everyone, everywhere.

  • Responsible Production and Consumption

    Responsible Production and Consumption

  • Sustainable Cities and Communities

    There needs to be a future in which cities provide opportunities for all, with access to basic services, energy, housing, transportation and more.

  • Reduced Inequalities

    To reduce inequalities, policies should be universal in principle, paying attention to the needs of disadvantaged and marginalized populations.

  • Decent Work and Economic Growth

    Sustainable economic growth will require societies to create the conditions that allow people to have quality jobs.

  • Affordable and Clean Energy

    Energy is central to nearly every major challenge and opportunity.

  • Clean Water and Sanitation

    Clean, accessible water for all is an essential part of the world we want to live in.

  • Gender Equality

    Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.

  • Quality Education

    Obtaining a quality education is the foundation to improving people’s lives and sustainable development.

  • Good Health and Well-Being

    Ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being for all at all ages is essential to sustainable development.

  • Zero Hunger

    The food and agriculture sector offers key solutions for development, and is central for hunger and poverty eradication.

  • Partnerships for the Goals

    Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development