News / Isles filmmaker turns lens on Grenada’s goats
A SHETLAND filmmaker is producing an independent documentary about sustainable goat dairy production in the West Indies island of Grenada.
Aidan Nicol, originally from Levenwick and now based in Aberdeen, is putting together the film ‘Grenada and the Goats’ in association with Caribbean company Brainstorm Productions.
She visited Grenada in 2011 where she has been volunteering with the charity Goat Dairy on the island for the past two years, and is now embarking on a film to capture their story and share it with the world.
The Grenada Goat Dairy, a not-for-profit project producing artisan cheese, supports a network of small-scale farmers and is pushing for change from the ground up.
Established six years ago, the dairy is perhaps the first in the world to get agriculture and food back on the curriculum by building a goat dairy on site at a local school. It is striving to achieve sustainability despite climate change-related challenges which have caused their production levels to drop dramatically.
She says the film will invite viewers to think about the global issues of food security and the impact of the industrialised food system on small islands, which rely heavily on imported products despite their own resources and skills.
Christine Curry, the founder of the Goat Dairy project, says: “We are delighted to have a like-minded film maker capturing our story and our mission to make this world a better place.”
Aidan says: “As an islander myself, I’m drawn to the stories of the people living on islands and have grown to love Grenada as one of those rare places that feels like a home from home.
“Volunteering with the Goat Dairy made me realise there was a bigger picture that needed to be explored. Food security and accountability is one of the biggest issues for the twenty first century. The goat dairy is making its mark to change that.”
While Shetland is 60 degrees north of the equator, Grenada lies only 12 degrees north with year-round temperatures averaging in the high 20s. The tropical climate will be a challenge but one Aidan is looking forward to as the project moves into production later this year.
It is intended for broadcast on regional TV stations in the Caribbean as well as the international and UK film festival circuit by the end of 2015.
Aidan says she owes most of her passion for film-making to the enthusiasm of the film community in Shetland: “Being a member of Maddrim Media and having the support of Shetland Arts and SIC youth workers to make films, as well as meeting people and seeing films through the Screenplay film festival, has been unbelievably valuable.”
The film is in the process of securing funding from various sources, but the producers are keen to attract more partners and backers in any capacity to support the production and distribution of the film.
- Find out more about The Goat Dairy and how to support its dairy and school project on their website: www.thegoatdairy.org and visit the films website grenadandthegoats.wordpress.com.
Grenada and the Goats from Aidan Nicol on Vimeo.
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