Heather Grace – latte addict

What is your background?

My parents used to be original hippy’s in the 70′s which was a phase they thankfully outgrew. I grew up on a farm in South Africa and have 2 sisters and 2 brothers each a year apart. (Which if you can’t count makes us 5 kids). My parents did not have a TV.
I tried to leave school at 15 so I could get a job because I was bored with theory and wanted to work, but my mother would not let me. The moment I finished high school I moved to Cape Town and started working at an ad agency and became a workaholic who has never fully recovered – work stuff is on LinkedIn – I am not going to bore you.

What do you do to keep motivated and inspired?
Uhm… I thankfully hardly ever lack inspiration or ideas – I lack the time to do everything I want to. I’m like an idea factory and the engine only usually switches off at 1am. I write, blog, take acting classes, volunteer, dream and read (3 books at a time). Rather ask me what I do to fall asleep.

What interests you?
Kids and how much we affect their lives. I’m fascinated by people who are patient and giving expecting nothing in return. I’m incredibly interested in different people and usually enjoy being around people others find annoying, purely because I find their behavour intriguing. I have a keen interest in social development and philanthropy on the whole. I enjoy discovering how film, writing and acting affect people. I want to make more films and be involved in more projects that mean something to society.

Tell us something we don’t know?
I don’t have a TV
I never read the news
I am psychic
I can’t operate without a latte in the morning

Links to some sites I like
I do fundraising for The Youth Care Centre in Durban – and I have 100 kids there who I pretend are mine. I’m off to do a workshop in March, if anyone is interested in supporting Project Ignite2011 please drop me a mail – heather@alchemyfilms.net.
I also like Kiva.org and their new initiative profounder.com, I get involved occasionally with the teens from Tawasul and enjoy reading the kid’s blogs.

If you want to listen to my opinionated rambles you can subscribe to my blog or if you are interested in my sparse tweets, I do twit occasionally.

Andrew Clemson – Alchemy’s RED WIZARD

What is your background?

I’m your typical Ex-Pat Brat. Grew up in Dubai, moved back to the UK for Uni, left Uni, worked, went back to Uni, got bored of wearing coats and came back home.
Now I act like a RED-supernanny and make sure it doesn’t throw any tantrums. If it does it sits on the naughty step. But I can’t stay mad at it for long.

Im a dog person, but my cat says that is crazy-talk.

What do you do to keep motivated/inspired?

I read comic books! Theres a lot of really good storytelling out there from guys like Brian K Vaughan (Y: the Last Man), and Robert Kirkman (Walking Dead). There’s a reason they get made into movies!

What interests you?

I love camera gear. Nothing better finding a nice new FEDex package on your desk. Except maybe finding 2 FEDex packages on your Desk.

Links to a few sites that you like:

I rarely manage to get through a day without checking REDuser.net, Geekologie.com or Icanhascheezburger.com.

Tell us something we don’t know..

I have an unnaturally large comic book collection, and talk to my cat like a semi-moron. In Uni I owned 3 copies of the movie Predator on VHS, just in case something happened to the other 2.

Hamama – one of the top 20 films to see at DIFF – Directed by Nujoom Al Ghanem

Nujoom Al Ghanem is one of the Middle East’s most recognized writers and directors. She is the face behind many film initiatives in the Emirates, but this year is also a contributing filmmaker and is screening her heartrending and controversial documentary about Hamama, an elderly female Shaman living in the United Arab Emirates at DIFF. Hamama is listed as one of the top 20 films to see at DIFF this year in Time Out Magazine.

Nujoom Al Ghanem was born on October 24 1962 in the UAE where she was raised. Initially she started a career in journalism but after marrying and starting a family decided to continue her education in the USA where she studied Television Production and Direction. Later she obtained an MA in cinema production from Griffith University in Australia. Now, Al Ghanem is one of the most prolific Middle Eastern poets and film directors of her time. She has published seven poetry collections and has produced and directed four films which have grabbed the attention of both critics and readers throughout the region. As a result of her international life experience she has the ability to mix the culture of the East and West in a unique and unparalleled way. Her work addresses lives lived at the boundaries of love, death, sleep and darkness.
Nujoom Al Ghanem’s new film documentary pushes the envelope in a completely different way and she recounts how she got much, much more than she signed up for during the shooting of the documentary and how the Director of Photography, Nick Davidson and his film production team supported her endeavors throughout the filming and editing process. (This 64 minute documentary was filmed on the RED One Camera and edited in the Alchemy Edit suites in Media City)

“Hamama is an elderly female shaman and living legend in the Emirates. Blessed with an incredible gift of healing she has to face her fragility and age that threaten to impact her work and her livelihood. Her skills are incredibly valuable to hundreds who continue to visit her each day on her farm in Dhaid, seeking her essential cures, yet Hamama struggles with the responsibility of providing the care that is so greatly needed, while she confronts her own personal hardships. As she strives to deal with her daily chores, her loss of physical strength and the conservative beliefs of her daughters who do not encourage their mother’s work – she faces another side of life, one of waiting and one of loneliness.
How does Hamama bear all of these burdens yet still remain one of the most successful and in demand Shaman of her time? A question tested and answered in this captivating visual testimony.” Nujoom Al Ghanem

Don’t miss the screening on the 15 Dec 2010.

Nick Davidson – Owner of Alchemy

What is your background?
Uruguay mother, Scottish Father

What do you do to keep motivated and inspired?
Read books, listen to Peter Day’s World of Business, watch TED talks, brainstorm with our great creative team. I love the process of forming ideas and at least striving to put them to action whether they come off or not it’s the creative urge that is tickled pink by seeing, hearing or forming ideas. We are supposed to have a half day a week dedicated to just this at Alchemy, hard to stick to due to work pressures. My motto is to stay fresh and not get bogged down by details.

What do you do to relax?
Cooking, mountain biking, kitesurfing, surf ski kayaking, staying fit but mostly playing with my three daughters.

What interests you?
Space and the universe, people who strive to make the world a better place

Links to a few sites that you like
BBC World and a great fan of IPad apps and twitter

Tell us something we don’t’ know about you:
I am actually 39 even though I don’t look a day over 21. I think people find this hard to believe sometimes.

Anything else you would like me to mention?
That Hamama is an amazing woman and we were all incredibly lucky to have had the chance to spend time filming her. Looking forward to having our documentary about her healing practice screened at DIFF this year.

Adrian Partridge – Junior Editor

I have very vivid memories of the first part of my life in India as we moved to the U.A.E. when I was 5 years old. I do however remember the first school I went to which I very comfortably referred to as “other school” because my sisters were in an all girls school. Due to the small age difference between my sisters and I and the fact that we were in a coed school with similar timings for both genders of students, we were fortunate that we did not have to move from school to school. I lived in the UAE since 1990 and attended the same school from grade 1 to 12. As a result I have grown up with classmates who 20 years down the line are still my close friends. A few of us were also fortunate to attend the same college where we qualified as Bachelors of Science in Information Technology. I had such great moments at school, there is nothing like having the same friends for so many years. We had a lot of fun times, used to bunk a lot of classes, and wish I could turn back time and go back to those good old days. They were just incredible.
At college, while we were deciding on which avenues of the IT world each of us would pursue, I was clearly focused on software/web developing and have since taken up a few challenges for professional companies for which I have been rewarded with high praise.
I dare anyone to throw me a challenge which would make some people shiver in their boots. Land, sea or air – I’m ready!

I remember the time when I went Bungee Jumping, although I couldn’t wait to get up there, and when I did, I felt so scared that I was not going to make it out alive.
The video is remarkable, anyone who has seen it, said it had to be put up on ‘Funniest home videos’. Watch it here.
I used to be a hardcore collector – stamps, coins, stickers, the works!! – You name it, but I grew out of that. Now it’s all about music, have been playing the piano for over a year now, learnt a lot of great stuff that I had no clue about, from an inspiring music teacher. He is just incredible. I love all kinds of music, whether rock, old, new etc… I appreciate anything that sounds great. Someday! hopefully, I will be performing at my own concert, covering some of the greatest artist like Elton John, Billy Joel etc.. (Shoosh………..I will fulfill my mother’s dream).
When it comes to electronics, what I cay say, it’s in my blood to be fascinated with anything the needs power.. If any of my gadgets get ruined, I do not hesitate to open it, rather than take it to an electronic store (my dad’s influence rubs off here). I enjoy collecting hardware or anything on which I can store information. “The more (memory) the merrier”.

I didn’t mentioned that I go through phases of taking part in marathons have participated in the 10K and 3K Standard Chartered marathon in Dubai and the half marathon relay in Ras Al Khaimah. The 10K was hilarious, I thought it would never end and my family at the finish line almost contacted the police at the venue, assuming I had passed out on the way.
Last but not least, I am accused of having a subtle sense of humor, and love to annoy everyone (especially my sister, by freezing her up in her room), and occasionally I’m short tempered (LOL… quite often).
My favorite websites: www.facebook.com , www.youtube.com