International Adventures

Since PFI’s travel-study programs began, hundreds of WVSU students, faculty and area professionals have benefited through our programs with film schools in Russia, the Czech Republic, Venezuela, and Africa.

PFI SUCCESSFUL SHOOT IN AFRICA

During the Summer of 2002, professor Daniel Boyd returned to the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania with a Fulbright Alumni grant to fund the production of the pilot TeleDrum project. TeleDrum, an initiative to teach African students and professionals filmmaking through informational/promotional videos for aid organizations, was envisioned during Boyd’s tenure as a Fulbright professor at Dar es Salaam (1998-99) with his African counterpart Augustin Hatar. Boyd returned to Dar es Salaam with the grant, fellow professor Steve Gilliland, and WV State University student Hugh Canada. Each took to the task of breaking filmmaking down to its parts and teaching the process while creating a project.

In association with The John Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs, TacAIDS, Healthscope Tanzania and USAID, TeleDrum presented an actual client for these students to deliver the project. After the Tanzanian screenwriting students wrote various scripts, “Duara,” Delphine Njewele’s story of young love torn apart by an older man and fate, was chosen. After principal photography was complete, director Richard Ndunguru traveled to the United States to finish the film. With original music by Iman Sanga, musicians Larry Groce and Michael Lipton added a final score and theme to the project during the final mix and edit.

Future clients, production/school partners and funding sources are now being sought to sustain and expand TeleDrum.

PFI Cultural Exchange with Belize Successful

West Virginia State College professor and Paradise Film Institute director Daniel Boyd led a 10-student delegation to the Central American country of Belize May 21 - 30, 2001, establishing an educational/cultural exchange program with the Belize Ministry of Culture's Institute for the Creative Arts. This pioneering group laid the foundation for an ongoing collaboration between media arts students and professionals from both countries. Belize's incredible natural resources, ancient historic sites and rich, diverse culture offer endless cinematic possibilities.

In May, 2000 PFI took its first delegation to Venezuela. PFI’s mission to complete a documentary about the Carribean village Choroni with a Escuela de Cine y Television in Caracas.
Read about one adventurer's experience!