It’s been an amazing year for us at Eidolon Films, now in our fifth year of business (3 years full-time). It really seems like yesterday that the idea of running our own business making documentary films and videos was just a dream. But we’re proud to say it’s been our fortunate reality. We feel truly lucky to come to work every day to be creative, to meet fascinating people, to travel the world and to advocate & educate through story. It’s been a pretty packed year, but below are our top five highlights of the 2012:
1. Our New Office: This past March, we moved into a new office in the Josephine Butler Parks Center mansion, which overlooks the beautiful Meridian Hill Park. This Spring, Summer and Fall, we really utilized the office’s proximity to the park, taking countless walks to clear our heads during a difficult edit. And more than anything, having separate work space outside of our home has made our work life more productive and our personal life a lot more relaxing.
2. Fate of a Salesman: We’re proud to have completed our latest independent film, Fate of a Salesman, about a men’s clothing haberdashery closing after 60 years of business. Over the course of nearly two years, we periodically followed the lives of Willie, Steve and Jerry as they came to terms with the loss of a place with which they so closely identified. We were especially honored to have the support of our local PBS station WHUT as well as DC Commission of the Arts funding, without which we would not have completed the film this year. We’re now working to build our audience, submitting to film festivals and seeking national PBS broadcast, which will hopefully follow the film’s premiere this Spring on WHUT. Please show your support by “liking” the film on facebook!
3. Exciting New Client Work: This year we started working with two new wonderful organizations. On behalf of the Washington Home & Community Hospices, we produced Alvin & Arlene, a short documentary about a brother’s love for his dying sister. And together with our amazing motion graphics partner Joe Moccia, we produced a short animation for the Results for Development Institute about the work they are doing helping developing countries establish universal health care systems.
4. Innovating For Our Long-standing Clients: We’re really proud of the long-standing relationships we’ve built with our loyal clients, Georgetown University and AIPAC. And each year, we are eager to innovate our work to advance the missions of both organizations. For Georgetown, our beloved alma mater, we honored teachers for 20 years of commitment to the University, profiled active alumni, and most recently, collected the moments that make the University special as a way to thank existing donors and inspire new donors as well. These are just a few of many projects we produced for the University. For AIPAC, we traveled to Israel and around the United States to produce a series of black and white stories of Americans grateful to Israel and Israelis grateful to America. I think my favorite storyteller might have been Shaike Bareket, who asked for America’s support during the Yom Kippur War.
5. Our Ethiopia and Kenya Adventure: This August and September, we ventured to Ethiopia and Kenya, where we filmed an amazing agricultural program for a client, visited the stunning churches of Lalibela, climbed the Simien Mountains, tracked the big five in the Masai Mara, and sailed the coast of Lamu Island. The trip was both challenging and exhilarating, and introduced us to the magic of Africa. We can’t wait to go back. Below is a slideshow of just a handful of photographs from our travels:
Congratulations! Such a wonderful year with great accomplishments.