What is this project all about?

The basic story is about the family of 12-year-old Elyas who is living in Zambia. The family struggles for surviving with HIV. Daily routine is marked by the lack of all those things necessary for life that we take for granted.

People from different organizations such as Doctors without borders, Medico International, ACHAP (African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnership) and the HIV-project Mother2Mother are dealing with the question how to satisfy the needs for the disadvantaged in the Third World Countries in order to improve their situation. To be able to provide practical help, they even pass legal trade laws prescribed by the industrial nations.

Three members of the four- team members, travelling for a half year through Eastafrica, are themselves HIV-positive. More than a travel report or a description of the country, this short road movie is going to document the personal approach of the film team to the situation of the people in these Third World Countries. Based on their own concernment, they give the audience a personal impression of the necessity of medical care, a human right pertaining to all.

When Elyas is so faint that he cannot eat or talk, his grandmother Cathrin takes him to the nearest hospital. There, she has heard, is a new doctor from “Doctors without borders”. The South American doctor Dr. Petiri examines Elyas. A winning smile of Elyas convinces her that he could make it. While she is distributing the pills from India, Oliver Moldenhauer from “doctors without borders” directs the campaign “Europe – hands of our medicine” in Germany. This campaign is against the blockade of selling low priced generics from India, the “pharmacy of the poor”, by European enterprises.

In the summer, Beauty reads an advertisement in the foreign aid-paper “People to People” which encourages HIV-positive mothers to apply for a job at mothers2mothers at a hospital in Muzoka, a city in the southern province of Zambia, almost 140 kilometer away from her village.

Mothers have a prominent part in the transmission of the HI-Virus. In accordance with UNAIDS (Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS) a main focus to confine the AIDS- pandemic must be on preventing the transmission of the virus from mothers to their children.

Meanwhile on their arrival the film team visits a project supported by Medico International at the pharmaceutical faculty of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, that will help the pharmaceutical industry of Third World Countries to stand on their own feet and so be independent from expensive drugs made in industrial nations.

Elyas in his home village is getting much better. He is recovering quickly, racing happily through the hospital and telling everybody about the 26 kilograms he is weighing now. He wants to count his pills by himself and fill them in his tablet dispenser.

What are the aims and who is this project for?

Every year, millions of people die from diseases that would normally be treated easily. In particular, the global south is suffering from a chronic lack of resources and structures to realize the human right to health. At least 30 countries are unable to provide appropriate health care on its own for their population.

Our desire with this film is to create an awareness, that, as one humanity , with the power of our voices and our actions, we are able to solve the world's problems. Even now reams of people are working in many small and large projects to improve the alarming state of the health sector of the world.

On the one hand, doctors without borders are fighting for an equal access to drug supply for all people in the patent-driven world market, while big pharmaceutical companies support projects that help mothers to protect their children from HIV infection. But where turns the pharmaceutical industry really in in relation to patent rights, and with which supported projects do they only want to polish up their image?

Much has been done In the fight against HIV in the last decade in Africa. Botswana has launched an exemplary project by founding the project "African Comprehensive HIV and AIDS Partnerships" called ACHAP, and recorded such a significant improvement in the situation that they serve as a model for other states.

With our project we want to show that you help yourself by turning yoursel away from your own problems to the problems of the world. We make this experience such as mothers in Africa, affected by HIV, who are engaged in a project. We all learn to be valuable and get back a meaning in life, if we work for others.

Worldwide, people are demonstrating for justice and the sharing of world resources. They give hope to a future in peace in a currently by a minority ruled policy. No government will be able to bow to the voice of the people. We need a united humanity, working together on the problems of the world. If we share the world's resources, we create trust and trust creates the possibility for cooperation. Right human relations are the result and will replace competition and greed. A film like this will be a contribution!

Our aim is to finish this film for the Berlinale 2013. Film festivals are a great option to bring topics like these to a wider public. Whether the film will be in the program of Berlinale / Panorama and other international festivals is to be seen. Inshallah!

The many international awards for "Postcard To Daddy" make me very confident.

Auszeichnungen / Film Awards „Postcard To Daddy"

60th Berlinale 2010 International Film Festival, Section Panorama, Winner of "Siegessäulen Readers Award", nominated for The Teddy "Best Documentary" and the "Amnesty International Film Award" Berlin, Germany, February 2010, World Premiere

Outfest Athens International GBTL Film Festival, Winner of “Best Documentary/Best Film”, Athens, Greece, April 2010
2010 Amsterdam (International Film Festival), Winner of "Best Personal Narrative" Van Gogh Award, Amsterdam, Netherlands, May 2010

35th Frameline International GBTL Film Festival, “Special Mention” Jury Award, San Francisco, USA, June 2010

Tel Aviv GBTL International Film Festival, Winner of the "Best Documentary" Award, Tel Aviv, Israel, June 2010

Los Angeles International Film Festival, Winner of "Best Directing” Jury Award in the Documentary Feature Film Competion, Los Angeles, USA July 2010

Los Angeles Reel Film Festival "Special Honored Mention" Jury Award in the Documentary Feature Film Competition, Los Angeles, USA, September 2010

Skeive Filmer / Oslo Gay & Lesbian Film Festival “Honorable Mention“ Jury Award to POSTCARD TO DADDY by Michael Stock, Noeway, September 2010

Kiev Molodist International Film Festival 2010, Sunny Bunny Jury: The main prize is shared among two films: "Postcard to Daddy", dir. Michael Stock, Germany; "Brotherhood" ("Broderskab"), dir. Nicolo Donato, Denmark, Kiev, Ukraine, November 2010

Perlen Film Festival Hannover 2010: "Broncene Perle" für Postcard To Daddy" von Michael Stock, Hannover, Germany November 2010

Montreal 23rd Image+Nation International Festival Cinema LGBT "Best documentary Film" Award for Postcard To Daddy, Montreal, Canada, Nov. 2010

This Human World Vienna International Human Rights Film Festival, "Audiance Award" Vienna, Austria, Dec. 2010

The Village Doc Filmfestival, „Honored Mention“, Milano,Italy, Mai 2011

Official Selected:

N.Y.C. International Film Festival, N.Y.C., USA, August 2010,North America Premiere
Chicago International Film Festival, Chicago, USA, September 2010
International Film Festival Ireland, Clonmel, County Tipperary, Irland, September 2010
Cannes Independent Film Festival, Cannes, Frankreich, May 2010
Kansai Film Festival, Osaka, Japan, September 2010 East Asia Premiere
Kansai Film Festival, Kyoto, Japan, September 2010
Florence International G & L Film Festival, Florence, Italien, December 2010
Ljubjana International G & L Film Festival, Ljubjana, Slowakei, December 2010
Barcelona International GLBT FF, Barcelona, Spanien, October 2010
Lisboa GLBT, Lisboa, Portugal, September 2010
Torino GLBT, Torino, Italien, April 2010 Western Europe Premiere

And many more...

Why should you support this project?

Our aim is to take a the cinematic look at ways to engage in an exemplary way of an equitable redistribution of resources. The focus in this documentary should especially be directed on the resource "drugs / generics'” and health care in third world countries with a focus on East Africa.

The film project was offered to German TV stations and film funds. The TV stations have largely been canceling because "... often reporting on the topic of HIV often ...", which makes a promotion solely by the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg hardly feasible. My last film, "POST CARD TO DADDY" (homepage: http://postcard-to-daddy.de/), which dealt with sexual abuse, I have produced together with the Berlin Film Production Oculus without funds of public broadcaster. It could be implemented very much more independent and prompt. A global evaluation (cinemas, film festivals, social forums, DVD market, video on demand, Internet, and then later a TV broadcast) was possible even without a TV co-production.

As a writer and director, I did not make it easy with the issues of my films to accommodate accordingly in good time slots. But the socio-political relevance of the topics show me every time again how important it is to fight for them.

We (the filmmakers) have decided to make us independent of any financing by the public TV broadcaster. That means we want put the film project "Share - Healing by Sharing" into practice in the first half of 2012 without TV participation as so-called "low-budget version". We will produce the film largely from our own resources. These resources consist of proceeds of the last movie (Postcard To Daddy), the existing film equipment, the cutting room, the purchase of the expedition vehicle and its shipment, and other equipment. But In order to realize the film in a "low-budget version," we are dependent from financial support from sponsors and especially the so-called "crowd funding".

Just because "Share - Healing by Sharing" is about a fair distribution of resources, your financial support would help us many times. We would be delighted if you insert youserlf into the list of people who help to realize the film project. We are happy to note your name or logo in the credits and on our website.

With warm regards, the film crew!

Michael Stock (writer / director /co- producer)
Carsten Cierocki (co-author, nurses, naturopaths)
Thomas Blum (camera man, mechanic)
Fabian Michailova (sound designer)

More information on the following websites:

http://michael-stock-filmemacher.de
http://postcard-to-daddy.de

What will we do with the fundings?

The money allows to produce the film as low-budget version. (Film funding is requested but not yet approved). The low-budget version is only possible because all members of the team work for free. The financial support from start Next Suporters guarantees us to pay for translators in East Africa to make interviews not only in the official languages of the respective countries. The microphones and the steadycam will provide good sound and picture quality. Certainly there will be further costs during the trip . Of course we are pleased for more support than the stated sum.

Who are the persons behind this?

Oculus Film (Produktionsfirma/ Producers)
Missing Films (nationaler & internationaler Filmverleih/ national & international Distrubition)

Sponsors until now

SO 36 Kreuzberg
Möbel Olfe
Berhain
Kopi4
Praxis Christiane Cordes
Praxisgemeinschaft Jessen
Praxis City Ost
Die Hautexperten, Dr. Claudia Herzler
Bavaria Apotheke
Berlin Apptheke
Uhland Apotheke
Tiaré Naturkosmetik
DTP Polsterei
Sonja Brei
Tim Lienhard
Peter Jürgensmeister
Bastian Krondorfer
Margret Bartholomé
Patrick Schuckmann
Peter Klein
Roland Stock

Organisations

Oliver Moldenhauer (Ärzte ohne Grenzen / Doctorts Without Borders, Germany)
Stefan Dolt (Ärzte ohne Grenzen / Doctorts Without Borders, Deutschland)
Dr. Themba Moeti (ACHAP- African Comrehensive HIV and AIDS Partnerships, Botswana)
Philippe Dousté – Blazy (UNITAID, France)
Medico International (Germany)

Team / Crew

Andrea & Hubert Schäfer (Produzenten / Producers)
Christoph Martin Grosser (Dramaturg / Srciptconsulting)
Peter Knoch (Künstler / Artist)
Thomas Blum (Kameramann & Automechaniker / Camera / Mechanic)
Simon Blum (Requisiteur / Propmaster)
Robert Quante (Schnitt / Editor)
Fabian Michailova (Tontechnik / Sounddesigner)
Jessica Mühlau D-Zera, (Grafik / Webdesign)
Carsten Cierocki (Co-Autor)
Michael Stock (Regie, Autor, Co- Produzent / Director, Writer, Co- producer)