We are very pleased to be working with Stranger Productions, creators of an exciting and poignant new documentary called Liberia ’77. The film, which will be broadcast on Knowledge and TVO in September, follows brothers Jeff and Andrew Topham as they return to the African country of their childhood after its 30-year civil war. Armed with their father’s photographs they retrace their past lives, finding the people and places they left behind. It is an exploration of the universal importance of photography in defining our lives and an unforgettable portrait of how connection and responsibility can survive time, distance and war.
Fulscrn has been working with the film’s director and producers to develop a web strategy, secure a first round of online funding through the Canadian Media Fund’s convergent stream and BC Film’s interactive fund, and find a brand sponsor.
We are now in full production on a new website which extends the story of the film in incredible ways. Our aim: to return the photographic history Liberia, lost during the country’s civil war. Much of Liberia’s photographic record of its peaceful past was destroyed during the war. The National Museum sits mostly empty – and closed. On a wish from the country’s new President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, we will use the web and social media to gather images of pre-war Liberia, with a plan to return a collection to the National Museum in Monrovia, to help in the country’s rebuilding process.
We are already enjoying a great working relationship with the wonderful folks at Stranger Productions and can’t wait to launch this project together in mid-April.
