In January I attended the Sundance Film Festival with “The D Word: Understanding Dyslexia”, another documentary I produced. It was very exciting, to say the least, to be at an internationally renowned film festival and I am happy to announce that the film will appear on HBO in October.

Last week was full of celebration and networking, and I made some powerful and inspiring connections that will be fruitful for “The Eyes of Thailand” once we complete the film this spring. This week we are keeping up the momentum by pushing “The Eyes of Thailand” forward.

In December, we launched our IndieGoGo donation campaign for individuals who would like to be a part of our inspiring and award-winning documentary by making a small donation to “The Eyes of Thailand” film.

This our LAST IndieGoGo campaign for “The Eyes of Thailand”. The last opportunity to raise $17,500 to complete the film, the last chance to claim your donation perks, pre-reserve your DVDs and posters, and your last chance to get your name in the film’s credits.

Your donations of $10, $30 and up are greatly appreciated, and can be made between today and February 28th. In return, donors will receive some very cool “perks” (think of “perks” as cool gifts).

For example, with a $100 Donation, YOU will receive:

1. IMDB Film Credit (that’s right, you would get listed in the film’s ending credits under “Thank Yous”)
2. Personal THANK YOU and Shout Out from me (the Director)
3. DVD or digital download of “The Eyes of Thailand” film & the Film’s Score (when available)
4. Official poster signed by Filmmaker

Plus, your donation is 100% Tax-deductible and 15% goes directly to the FAE Elephant Hospital in Thailand.

Watch the powerful and inspiring trailer, learn more about the campaign and how to donate at: <http://tinyurl.com/TheEyesofThailandMovement>

If you have already donated, please consider donating again, even if it’s $10. It may not seem like much to you, but $10 donations add up quickly and they give us an opportunity to announce our progress online and keep the buzz up.

Another way to help keep our momentum going is sharing the link with your friends and networks and encouraging them to join you in donating to the film.

I hope you will join us and show your support by being a part of “THE EYES OF THAILAND“ and making a small donation today.

With gratitude,

Windy Borman

Director/Producer, “The Eyes of Thailand”

“The Eyes of Thailand” has contracted Animator Tahnee Gehm to help bring certain stories within the film to life. Examples include Motala’s and Mosha’s trips to FAE’s Elephant Hospital after being injured and Soraida’s inspiration to found FAE, among others.

Tahnee is currently a student at the California Institute of the Arts, studying Character Animation. Creating a handful of internationally-screened animated short films in as many diverse styles as possible, she hopes to one day start her own animation studio. While art and animation have been life-long passions, she also enjoys playing violin and piano, along with tinkering with technology.

We’re thrilled to have Tahnee on board and look forward to unveiling a sneak peek to some animation stills soon. Stay tuned!

Gary is an accomplished Editor and DP.  His current interests are long walks on the beach and online video.  He has shot and edited short films, sports, news, corporate video, live concerts and events, hip hop dance, and a lot of funny cat stuff.  He is an accomplished musician and composer, writing for national commercials and online campaigns.

Welcome to the Team, Gary!

Motala and Mosha each received newly designed elephant-sized prostheses on November 9, 2011. (Photo credit: Soraida Salwala).

LAMPANG, THAILAND–On November 9, 2011, Mosha celebrated her sixth birthday at the Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Hospital, and to mark the occasion, the staff of the Prostheses Foundation presented Mosha with her seventh prosthesis.

Dr. Therdchai Jivacite of the Prostheses Foundation presents Mosha's seventh prosthesis to Soraida Salwala, FAE's founder. (Photo credit: Soraida Salwala).

Mosha enjoyed her Birthday treats of tamarind, sticky rice, and bananas before test-driving her new leg in her pen.

Mosha test-drives her new prosthesis. (Photo credit: Soraida Salwala).

“Auntie” Motala, joined the festivities, too, when Dr. Jivacite presented her with her fourth prostheses. She walked over to Mosha’s pen to wish her a Happy Birthday.

Motala, wearing her fourth prosthesis, visits Mosha, a.k.a. the "Birthday Girl". (Photo credit: Soraida Salwala).

Mosha and Motala are both elephant landmine survivors and permanent residents of FAE’s Elephant Hospital. Mosha stepped on a landmine in 2006 when she was only 7-months old. In 2008, she received the world’s first elephant prosthetic, designed by Dr. Jivacite. A decade earlier, Motala stepped on a landmine; she received her first prosthesis in 2009. All of their prostheses have been designed by Dr. Jivacite and donated to FAE by the Prostheses Foundation in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Mosha’s and Motala’s journey is featured in the upcoming documentary, “The Eyes of Thailand“, directed and produced by Windy Borman and produced by Tim VandeSteeg. For more information on the film, visit: http://eyesofthailand.com

"The Eyes of Thailand" painting by Los Angeles-based artist Annabel Ruffell. Dimensions: 30 inches x 40 inches Medium: Acrylic/Mixed Media

Sir David Attenborough asks: Are we happy to suppose that our grandchildren may never be able to see an elephant except in a picture book?

We aren’t at “The Eyes of Thailand” and neither is artist Annabel Ruffell, who has created a new painting, also entitled “The Eyes of Thailand”, which you can bring home when you select the “Ele-Painting” Donation Perk via our IndieGoGo fundraising campaign.

The painting draws inspiration from the Film’s poster and features three of the stars–Soraida Salwala (the founder of FAE’s Elephant Hospital) and two elephant landmine survivors (Motala and Baby Mosha)–walking beneath an ancient Thai teak tree.

“I feel very passionate about supporting ‘The Eyes of Thailand’ [film],” says Ruffell. “Elephants are amazing, intelligent Beings that deserve to live in peace and freedom. They have as much right to this earth as we humans do.”

Annabel Ruffell was born in London, England and grew up in a small town called Ascot, not far from London. She has traveled around the world and lived in Germany, Spain, Australia and South Africa. These experiences have inspired her and are reflected in her art. In 2003, Annabel’s travels led her to Los Angeles, California and she now resides in Santa Monica. Annabel has been painting with acrylics and oils for a number of years now and continues to explore different mediums. Over the years, she has exhibited her art at venues in London and Los Angeles.

“My inspiration comes from all of life; its beauty, its ever-changing form, the light and dark, the extremes it encompasses and all the colors in between,” writes Ruffell. “I have always been fascinated with the power and beauty of color, the merging and mixing of it and the many shades and shapes it can develop into. My intention is to inspire people from all walks of life around the world, with my paintings, prints and greeting cards.”

To learn more about Annabel Ruffell and see her work, please visit: http://www.annabelruffellart.com/

To bring “The Eyes of Thailand” painting into your home, visit our IndieGoGo page and select the “Art For Elephant’s Sake” perk. There’s only one painting available, so act now!

Sincerely,

Windy Borman

Director | Producer, The Eyes of Thailand

I am thrilled to announce that in less than a month we’ve raised over US $2,000 for “The Eyes of Thailand” through our IndieGoGo campaign!  Thanks to donations from our “Ele-Friends” like you, we’re well on our way to securing the US $75,000 needed to complete the Film and submit it to film festivals this fall.

If you haven’t visited our IndieGoGo page, yet, please read the details below and then click here to make your tax-deductible donation today and learn how to share it with your friends.

Our Goal & Donation Perks

Director/Producer Windy Borman filming in Thailand (2009).

Director | Producer Windy Borman began filming “The Eyes of Thailand” in 2007. Thanks to your support over the last 4 years, the filming is complete and we’re ready to begin the Post-production phase. After approximately 16 weeks, the Film will be complete and ready to submit to film festivals.

We need US $75,000 to complete the “The Eyes of Thailand” and get it ready to submit to film festivals by the end of 2011. The current funds sought will be allocated to the Post-production costs of the Film, which include: crew wages; celebrity narrator; editing; visual effects; music composer/score; animation; color correction; transfer costs; music and stock footage rights; lab fees; film festival submissions; producers’ and director’s fees; and business, insurance and legal expenses.

We know it’s a big goal, but we also know we can do it with your help! Plus, we’ve gathered some GREAT perks for our Ele-Friends, including:

Win a FREE 15-day Trip for 2 in Thailand from Intrepid Travel

• Posters
• T-shirts
• Artisan chocolates by Choclatique
• Fine art photography by Jodi Frediani and Suzanne Roland
• Invitations to the Film’s Sneak Peeks
• A private screening with the Filmmaker for you and 25 friends, and
• A CHANCE TO WIN A FREE 15-DAY TRIP FOR 2 IN THAILAND from Intrepid Travel.

For more information on the Donation Perks, please visit http://ht.ly/5Wntb . We’ll add to it as more perks are available, so check back often.

NOTE: ALL DONATIONS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE thanks to our fiscal sponsor, the San Francisco Film Society.

If we don’t reach our fundraising goal of $75,000, we will still push the Film through to completion; it just may take longer to complete, which means delaying the impact we can make to protect endangered Asian Elephants and pressure all governments to sign the Mine Ban Treaty.

If we exceed our Fundraising Goal, we will apply the funds toward the Film’s Marketing and Publicity budget so we can make a bigger splash when we hit the film festival circuit in 2012.

Our Impact

Soraida & Mosha at FAE. Photo by Jodi Frediani

Our social and environmental goals for “The Eyes of Thailand” are to:

• Educate and inspire viewers to protect Asian Elephants, and
• Encourage all governments to ban the use of landmines

Our ultimate hope is to convey the added sense of urgency for people and organizations worldwide to pressure Thailand to change its laws to protect the dwindling number of Asian Elephants. If nothing is done, the species will become extinct within the next 50 years, producing devastating effects on the environment, as well as the social and cultural structure of the country.

Other Ways You Can Help

In addition to donating to “The Eyes of Thailand“, you can help spread the word by joining our Facebook Page, following us on Twitter and suggesting us to your friends. There are some handy “share” tools on IndieGoGo to make this easier, so please check them out, too.

If you really want to be a Social Media Star, you can help promote “The Eyes of Thailand” fundraising campaign to your network. Email friends, give us shout outs on Facebook and Twitter, mention us in your Newsletters and Blogs, and add a link to the Film on your website.

15-piece Choclatique Collection, including a dark chocolate elephant

Not feeling techie? No problem. You can also host a Party with a Purpose for your “Ele-Friends” in honor of “The Eyes of Thailand”.

1. Host a dinner party, dance party, game night, etc. and have a suggested donation at the door.
2. Play “The Eyes of Thailand” trailer, which you can find on our website and YouTube.
3. Ask your friends to donate to “The Eyes of Thailand” film.
4. Pool the donations and make a large donation online.

In fact, if you donate $5,000 or more, you qualify for a Private Screening with Director Windy Borman for you and 25 friends!

Our Story

"The Eyes of Thailand" Poster

D.V.A. Productions, in Association with Indiewood Pictures, is producing the powerful and hard-hitting feature documentary “The Eyes of Thailand“, a true and inspirational story of one woman’s quest to help two elephant landmine survivors—Motala and Baby Mosha—walk on their own four legs. Treating their wounds was only part of the journey; building elephant-sized prostheses was another.

Told in the style of “The Cove” (2009), “Born into Brothels” (2004) and “Gorillas in the Mist” (1988), “The Eyes of Thailand” is a touching and uplifting story of how far one woman will go to ease the suffering of an endangered species.

The Film is Directed and Produced by Windy Borman and Produced by award-winning producer Tim VandeSteeg.

Happy Elephant Day, elephant fans! In honor of everything we love about elephants, we’ve released the new trailer for “The Eyes of Thailand“.

Thanks to a gracious donation by Remedy Editorial in San Francisco, CA, we have a dramatic, thrilling new trailer featuring footage from the 2010 documentary production trip to Thailand and Laos, including interviews with Soraida Salwala (FAE), Dr. Therchai Jivacite (Prostheses Foundation), Richard Lair (TECC), Galen Garwood, Paul Hannon (Mines Action Canada) and Reth Tun (ICBL).

Special thanks to: Jeffrey Boyette and Scott Compton (Remedy Editorial), Ayumi Ashley (Color Correction), Marc Pittman (Sound Mix), and Amie Penwell (Music).

Next steps:
“The Eyes of Thailand” is currently in post-production and on March 14, 2011, Director/Producer Windy Borman heads to Los Angeles, CA to supervise the edit of the feature-length film. We hope to have a complete film ready for film festival submissions in September. You can help us by:

1. Inviting your friends to “Like” the Facebook page.
2. Following us on Twitter.
3. Making a tax-deductible donation to the film, via our fiscal sponsor (the San Francisco Film Society), by clicking the Donate link on our website.
4. Contacting Director/Producer Windy Borman if you have leads to foundations, corporate sponsors or wish to inquire about investment details.

Thank you for joining our quest to save Asian Elephants and educate the world about the on-going threat of landmines. Enjoy the trailer!

-Windy Borman
Director/Producer, “The Eyes of Thailand”

More info about the film:
D.V.A. Productions, in Association with Indiewood Pictures, is proud to present the powerful and hard-hitting feature documentary “The Eyes of Thailand”.

“The Eyes of Thailand” is the inspirational story of one woman’s quest to help two elephant landmine survivors–Motala and Baby Mosha–walk on their own four legs. Treating their wounds was only part of the journey; building elephant-sized prostheses was another. Directed and Produced by Windy Borman. Produced by Tim VandeSteeg.

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/eyesofthailand
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/eyesofthailand
Website: http://www.eyesofthailand.com/

Mark your calendars! On Sunday, March 13, 2011, we will release the newly edited trailer for “The Eyes of Thailand” elephant documentary.

We gave our 1,200+ Facebook Fans an opportunity to attend an Online Sneak Peek of the newly edited film trailer on February 28, 2010. This weekend we will unveil a dramatic, thrilling, new trailer that features footage from the 2010 documentary production trip to Thailand and Laos, including interviews with Soraida Salwala (FAE), Dr. Therchai Jivacite (Prostheses Foundation), Richard Lair (TECC), Galen Garwood, Paul Hannon (Mines Action Canada) and Reth Tun (ICBL).

Be sure to check back in three days!

-Windy Borman

Director/Producer, “The Eyes of Thailand”

Yesterday, we gave our 1,200+ Facebook Fans an opportunity to attend an Online Sneak Peek of the newly edited film trailer for “The Eyes of Thailand“. Thanks to Remedy Editorial in San Francisco, CA, we unveiled a dramatic, thrilling new trailer that featured footage from the 2010 documentary production trip to Thailand and Laos. It featured Soraida Salwala (FAE), Dr. Therchai Jivacite (Prostheses Foundation), Richard Lair (TECC), Galen Garwood, Paul Hannon (Mines Action Canada) and Reth Tun (ICBL).

Special thanks to: Jeffrey Boyette and Scott Compton (Remedy Editorial), Ayumi Ashley (Color Correction), Marc Pittman (Sound Mix), and Amie Penwell (Music).

Next steps:
“The Eyes of Thailand” is currently in post-production and we hope to have a complete film ready for film festival submissions in September. You can help us by:

1. Inviting your friends to “Like” the Facebook page.
2. Following us on Twitter.
3. Making a tax-deductible donation to the film, via our fiscal sponsor (the San Francisco Film Society), by clicking the Donate link on our website.
4. Contacting Director/Producer Windy Borman if you have leads to foundations, corporate sponsors or wish to inquire about investment details.

If you missed the Sneak Peek, have no fear. The trailer goes live across the internet on March 13th for Thailand’s National Elephant Day.

Thanks for joining us and stay tuned for more exclusive updates!

-Windy Borman
Director/Producer, “The Eyes of Thailand”

More info:
D.V.A. Productions, in Association with Indiewood Pictures, is proud to present the powerful and hard-hitting feature documentary “The Eyes of Thailand”.

“The Eyes of Thailand” is the inspirational story of one woman’s quest to help two elephant landmine survivors–Motala and Baby Mosha–walk on their own four legs. Treating their wounds was only part of the journey; building elephant-sized prostheses was another. Directed and Produced by Windy Borman. Produced by Tim VandeSteeg.

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/eyesofthailand
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/eyesofthailand
Website: http://www.eyesofthailand.com/

Dear Friends, Family and Elephant Supporters,

As you know by now, I’m going back to Thailand to film the two newest elephant landmine survivors at the Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Elephant Hospital (Oct 31-Nov 4) and then it’s on to Laos to attend the Youth Leaders Forum for the International Campaign to Ban landmines (Nov 7-12). But I need your help to get there!

In the past week we’ve raised $1,500 of the $3,000 needed for the 16-day documentary trip. Thank you for this amazing show of support!

We still have a ways to go, so if you’re still looking to donate or invest in the film, if you’ve always wanted to be in show biz, and if you want to help make a movie you’d be proud to see in the theaters, please help us today.

1. Donate through the film’s fiscal sponsor, the San Francisco Film Society. All donations are tax-deductible and you can donate using a debit or credit card through a secure link via The Eyes of Thailand web site: http://eyesofthailand.com
2. Transfer stock to the film via the SF Film Society. It’s also tax-deductible.

No donation is too small and all donations are tax-deductible! In recognition of your support, I am offering the following VIP perks to donors:

• $25 = Personal thank you note from yours truly, plus a signed promotional postcard—it’ll be a collector’s item one day!
• $100 = All of the above, plus thanked in the film’s credits.
• $500 = All of the above, plus “Special Thanks” in the film’s credits and a signed DVD of the finished film.
• $1,000 = All of the above, plus listed in the Partners section of The Eyes of Thailand web site.
• $5,000+ = All of the above, plus a private screening for you and friends, plus a Q&A with me about the film.

Next, I’m hoping you can help me spread the word about my trip. The October 8, 2010 blog post contains a copy of the Press Release about my upcoming trip.  Please read it and then share the official link with your press contacts.  We’re hoping this goes global, so don’t be shy!

Finally, I’ll be blogging and posting updates on Facebook and Twitter from Thailand and Laos, so you can follow my progress. You can access all the updates via “The Eyes of Thailand” web site.

Thank you for continuing to support my quest to tell the world about the plight of the Asian Elephants and the ongoing threat of landmines. I could not do it without you!

Gratefully,

Windy Borman

Director/Producer, The Eyes of Thailand

windy@dvaproductions.com

http://eyesofthailand.com

P.S. Donations of any size help and all donations are tax-deductible when made through the San Francisco Film Society. You can donate by either clicking the “Please Donate” link on the The Eyes of Thailand web site. Thank you so much! Krup kum ka!