Running Up River Films

Light in the Himalayas is a documentary film about bringing solar electricity to schools in the Himalayan region of Ladakh. The film will tell a story of the extraordinary lesson that we can learn from an industrious people, who, out of necessity, have began to lead the world in the practical use of sustainable energy.

This production will also facilitate the coordination process of implementing solar panels in the schools with the help MSK Corporation¹ of Japan and the following Ladakhi people:

Yukon Levenson: MSK of Japan, International Sales Division. He is the contact and main coordinator of MSK. In addition to being in-charge of international sales, he also directs distribution. He is responsible for the solar system design that will be implemented in the schools. He will also be dispersing the individual units and negotiating the final cost.

Rigzin Spalbar: Chief Executive Councilor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council. He is the head of Ladakh's local government. He finalizes all things regarding development in Ladakh.

Jigmet Takapa: Project Director of the Ladakh Renewable Energy Development Agency. He is in-charge of all projects related to renewable and sustainable energy development in the region and will be coordinating local efforts in financing and installing, which includes local logistics and legal issues.

Sonam Dawa: Executive Director of the Ladakh Ecological Development Group NGO (Non-Governmental Organization). He is an information coordinator for resources for local NGOs.

Sonam Angchuk: Director S.E.C.M.O.L (Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh). He is an important local consultant for the project on educational and renewable energy implementation.

Tundup Dorjey: Director of Overland Escape Tour Company. He will be the acting Ladakhi Location Manger and in-charge of transportation and housing.

Becky Normen: S.E.C.M.O.L., School Director. She will be acting as an Educational Consultant.

The documentary will contain, but not be limited to, interviews with some or all of the above listed parties.

After careful consideration and in talking with Sonam Angchuk of S.E.C.M.O.L. and Jigmet Takpa, Project Director for the Renewable Energy Development Agency, about solar electrification in Ladakh, it became apparent that the most electrically deficient areas of Ladakh are schools. For the most part, schools are without any form of electricity. As we come into the Twenty-first Century, the use of computers and other electrical learning tools are necessary for a comprehensive learning environment. Given the scope of one school district, this present proposal is similar in scale to the previous proposal to electrify a village.

We propose to start with the thirty or so high schools as a pilot program and eventually move to electrify an entire district. Two school districts under consideration have approximately one hundred middle schools.

From a recent visit to Ladakh and speaking with local authorities, it is clear it would be difficult to find villages without solar energy or some sort of electrical power. Schools give us the opportunity to place resources and efforts where they will make a much larger impact. One house will provide for one family, while one school will provide for the children of many families and many generations. We will also be able to avoid any redundancy that may occur in electrifying a village that would eventually fall under governmental responsibility.

Running Up River Films will facilitate a cooperative effort between MSK Corporation of Japan and the appropriate government parties and NGO's in Ladakh. This project will provide clean and sustainable energy in the form of solar panels to one of the two middle school districts in Ladakh and thereby electrify the un-electrified, remote and inaccessible middle schools in Ladakh.

Additionally, MSK is also currently designing a portable solar light system that would be appropriate for nomads in Changthang by using energy efficient white LED's . High Lifter Water Systems has also expressed interest in this project and other projects that may spring from the groundwork that we lay now. In fact, this project is an amazing service and financial opportunity for many companies working in sustainable energy. The setting is not only appropriate, but also the documentary will show the Ladakhi people, out of sheer necessity, providing a definitive example of solar technologies and their applications. The Ladakhi people are illustrating to the world the practical use of non-fossil fuel based energy.

Producers and production staff are in negotiation and will be determined at a later date. The following are the known production staff:

Director, Producer: Yaque Silva-Doyle

Producer, Director of Photography: John Paul Beeghly of Inertia Films

Boom and Sound: Tsering Namgyal

Second Unit AC: Morgan LaManna

Running up River Films will carry out filming independently or in joint production with the negotiated network and/or studios as is deemed fit for this production. John Paul Beeghly and Yaque Silva-Doyle will produce the Light in the Himalayas film with consideration for the possible addition of producers depending on the affiliations of the project. Yaque Silva-Doyle will direct and John Paul Beeghly, the Director of Photography, will shoot on-location in Ladakh with the help of local crew. Tsering Namgyal will coordinate the local crew and also be the sound and boom operator.

Light in the Himalayas will be shot with HD cameras. Filming with HD will most clearly represent the beauty of the mountains region. It will also fulfill a recent demand for High Definition productions for TV networks and documentary releases.

Running Up River Films will be producing a documentary film that follows and explores the theme herein presented. This story is about the necessity of solar energy to sustain a way of life. In summary this production will be a documentary that covers and facilitates:

1. Electrifying the un-electrified, remote and inaccessible middle schools in Ladakh.
2. Opening a line of communication between companies outside of Ladakh that will provide sustainable energy technology such as: solar panels, LED solar lanterns and High Lifter water powered water pumps.
3. Telling the story of an incredible place where every school will eventually run on sustainable decentralized energy in a time when just such an occurrence is the most valuable lesson for the rest of the world: the actual purpose of this film.

¹MSK Corporation of Japan is a solar panel production company that will be lending design expertise and providing the solar panels for the project at a subsidized rate and or donating depending on the scale and scope of the project and the studios and or Networks involved.

except WRAP