Dear Friends, Family Members and Colleagues:

During the recent Olympics all Jamaicans felt pride because of the tremendous performance of Jamaican athletes and also because such wide recognition is so rare. 

It felt good to have the world looking to Jamaicans and Jamaica for excellence.  We, who are Jamaicans, know that going faster, jumping higher is not all we offer but there are no international games for originality and depth in cultural performance.  No medals for flights of spirit and soul. 

Complicating everything is the fact that television always focuses on national achievements except in sport. 

For the last four (4) years my colleagues and I have been tirelessly raising financing to produce a feature-length documentary film, In Search of Rastafari: A Soul’s Journey.  Our film is a celebration of Jamaican culture focused on Rastafari and reggae music.

In Search of Rastafari: A Soul’s Journey is a landmark feature-length documentary that tells the story of the spread of the Rastafarian movement to all corners of the world. It is a feature because features can be distributed internationally as movies and are, therefore, not subject to the same financing restrictions as television. 

The story is told through the epic journey of Bob and Rita Marley’s granddaughter, Donisha Prendergast, to eight (8) countries on four (4) continents -- Israel, Ethiopia, South Africa, India, United Kingdom, Canada, the United States of America and Jamaica.  As Donisha travels between countries and continents, she will explore the resonance and relevance of the Rastafarian message as well as its cultural and historical links to people of different cultures.

To date, interest in the project has been overwhelmingly positive, from broadcaster and distributors alike. However, this has not resulted in additional financing for the production.  We are asked by the broadcasters what connection this story has to the U.S., or Canada, or Europe and we reply, “This is the world”.  Despite the reaction of broadcasters – they want to run it.  They’re just reluctant to pay what they need to pay to make it happen.  So, our production team is determined to tell this story and is seeking alternative means of financing this “legacy” film. 

We need your help to complete the production financing of the Cdn. $1,000,000. Our fundraising campaign will be launched through our interactive website, www.reggaejourney.com, where contributors can become part of a new online community and also get updated information about the progress of the documentary. 

A minimum contribution of $50 and up will be rewarded with one limited edition t-shirt autographed by the film’s lead, Donisha Prendergast and acknowledgement to all of our supporters in the film.

Any assistance that you can provide will be greatly appreciated.  Let’s get this film made!!!

Jah Bless,