Tanzania: A Friendship Journey - Part 1: Introduction

Tanzania: A Friendship Journey - Part 1: Introduction Synopsis

TANZANIA A FRIENDSHIP JOURNEY is a new feature-length documentary directed and produced by Emmy Award winning filmmaker Sylvia Caminer. The team completed a rigorous location shoot throughout Tanzania, from the cities of Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar, to the summit of mighty Mount Kilimanjaro in sub-zero temperatures, to the sweltering plains of the Serengeti, to the impoverished village of Nkwenda.

When one fully shares his culture with friends it can have a powerful impact on how they and those around them begin to interact with the world and the people who inhabit it. It breeds tolerance, respect and a collaboration of ideas and philosophies.

Our story is the journey of two friends ...for one a homecoming for the other a transformation ...."To be sure that your friend is a friend, you must go with him on a journey." (African proverb) Venance Ndibalema left his small village nine years ago to pursue the dream of an education here in the states. Through the camera's unflinching eye we capture Venance's journey home with one of his closest American friends, Kristen Kenney. We watch as he struggles to blend his newly learned western philosophy with that of tribal life.

Along the way Venance introduces Kristen to the ancient culture, the contemporary poverty, and the eternal spirituality of his homeland. It is a dramatic, emotional, visually stunning odyssey that challenges and changes our protagonists - as well as our audience - forever.

We have amassed over 140 hours of HD footage and are currently in post-production.