2011
August  We partnered up with Global Ocean, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the conservation of marine life. together we are developing an active campaign to drive the film and make it become the catalyst for a change in policy.
July  We crowdsourced a team of researchers that has been building a database for outreach contacts. Ali Rickey, Emma Hart, Mike Chapman, Alan Pressland, Flavia Carraro and Jennifer Geluso created a specific list of interested people and organizations that we are contacting to bring them into the project.
June  Sandgrains partcipated to the Sheffield Doc/Fest Crowdfunding Pitch and arrived second with an overwhelming online vote! The project has also been selected to be presented at the BritDoc & Frontline pitching event during the festival.
May  We finally launched the website!!!

March

september

 Sandgrains has been selected by Sheffield Doc/Fest to be one of the 5 competitors at the Crowdfunding Pitch 2011, and we started creating our campaign video clips.
January


Since August 2010 we have been working on developing the film's web site and, even more importantly, we developed the crowdfunding platform that will enable to finance this project. For the first time we have now been able to see Simon's (the programmer) work on a screen that was not just abstract lines of code.

 

2010
December  Filing interview with Swedish MEP Isabella Lovin, an expert in European fisheries policy.
 October Filippo Bianchi from The Butchers Productions assisted with the colour correction and Mirco wrapped up the audio mastering of the trailer.
May
Made contact with various international NGOs and media professionals to discuss the prospect of promoting Sandgrains to a European audience.
April Compiled raw footage shot around Cape Verde and produced the first trailer which was edited by Karla Guimaraes and also included an interview with Jose in Gothenburg.
 March

 

 Arrived in Ribeira da Barca and met Demisi, our fixer. We received a warm welcome from his aunt Tata who granted us excellent hospitality at her house sleeping next to her pet chickens and loud rooster. Demici usually works as a local guide for tourists, and he introduced us all the local characters in the village. We slowly learned Portuguese and the local version of Cape Verde creole, gaining even more trust (and provided endless amusement for) the villagers as we adjusted to the way of life. Many people such as Captain Gaita and farmer Dino approached us, giving us their points of view and explaining the situation on the ground, enabling us to gain a much clearer insight into the life and conditions of the village. We met with the president of the local fishermen association who informed us of the DCP project. We couldn’t talk about fishing without seeing the process for ourselves so went out to sea with local fishermen. Alain, a Frenchman living and working as a diver in Cape Verde (who was also involved in the DCP project) agreed to be our underwater cameraman. We recorded a session with Tcheka, Cape Verdean musician and winner of Radio France International Music of the World Awards 2005. We also met the agent of Cesaria Evora , and local musicians, to secure music rights. In Sao Vicente we met with experts on fisheries development, marine biologists, marine engineers from the University of Mindelo, and Navy officers as well as local entrepreneurs.

 

2009
November Received funding from Project Aware who supported our pre-production in Cape Verde.
September
Francesa Tosarelli was engaged as stills photographer and Mirco Buonomo for audio.
April
The pre-production process started with drafting the treatment, outlining the timeline and budget and making initial contact with relevant people. We spoke with the Consul of Cape Verde in Gothenburg who provided us with contacts of researches, scientists and members of the Cape Verdean government as well as securing permits to film around various locations. We talked to Jose’s family and friends who kindly provided us with local contacts and offered us where to stay when in production on location.
 February After spending months researching the history of Cape Verde, the issues relating to the global fishing industry and the legal, political and economical situation surrounding José’s claims, the team finally met to discuss how to put the idea into action.

 

2008
September
Gabriel was working off hours at Pustervik Bar & Theatre, a cultural center in the Swedish city of Gothenburg. One quiet night he put on an album by the Cape Verdean musician Tcheka, which one person in the bar instantly recognized. That person was José, lead character of Sandgrains, and childhood friend of Tcheka. José starts telling Gabriel about how the beaches of his homeland are disappearing. The one by his home in RIbeira da Barca, where he used to play football, had been devastated by industrial fishing. An idea was born...