Short Summary

I am Dragos Lumpan, Romanian filmmaker and photographer. For 25 years I’ve been working with people. People in their environment became the red thread of all my photo and film projects. Documenting personal spaces within the universe of local communities is what I do best. I’ve filmed and directed many commercials, quite a few shorts and five documentaries, I was the D.O.P for a feature film called The Tank and I published three books. In 2003 I started working for National Geographic on several assignments including one on transhumance. For The Last Transhumance I am the director, cinematographer and producer.

Transhumance is defined as the livestock’s movement in search of available pastures, over considerable distances, following seasonal patterns. Shepherds and their families live in temporary or movable shelters.

In 2007 I started to photograph a family of shepherds in Romania, which for generations had been practicing transhumance. A year later these shepherds gave up going on the road, in transhumance. And so, this family gave the title to this project: Last Transhumance. In 2010 I extended this project about shepherds into several countries: Albania, Greece, Italy, Great Britain and Turkey. My artistic approach is very close to my personal approach. Most times I was on my own with the shepherds. My only crew was just a translator from time to time. I became part of the shepherds’ family. I walked with them, I dined with them, I slept under amazing summer skies and on frozen winter grounds like them. I was one of them and this inside view is an essential part of the film.

Now we are in the middle of post-production. We have rough-cut version ready. It will be a 90-minute anthropological documentary, edited out of 100 hours of footage in the 6 countries of the project, numerous interviews with shepherds and with researchers in anthropology. The film will also include time-lapse images created from over 100,000 photos.

The money we hope to raise with this campaign will enable us to finish the post-production (editing, music, audio, graphics, translations & subtitles, post-production for video & sound). The film will be ready by the end of 2016 and it will be followed by the promotional phase, festival participation and distribution.

The whole project is huge and the budget exceeded  100,000 USD. Until now it was funded by Romanian Cultural Institute ICR, National Cultural Fund Administration AFCN, GAV, Urban Spaces, Vodafone, Delaco, Free Miorita, Ferma Catean, HR Club, Crestem Idei, ABC DATA, Atelierul de grafica, Peasant Museum Bucharest, Macri Studio, Loud Studio & Videosama and own funds.

What We Need 

On the whole, for the post-production stage we need 18000$.
Now, our goal is to collect half of this amount, 9000 $  through this crowdfunding campaign. The other half we successfully gathered in 2015 on the Romanian crowdfunding platform crestemidei.ro.
Afterwards, the film entered the post-production phase. We started editing at the professional film studio ChainsawEurope.

The money we will raise now will be used to finish the post-production:
Editing
Music (music & final mix)
Audio (sound, sound editing & synchronization)
Graphics
Translations & subtitles
Post Production for Video & Sound (color correction, editing / mixing sound)

If we gather more than 9000$ we will use the money for the promotional phase (festival participation and distribution).

Why are we raising money in USD?
If the campaign is in Euro, Indiegogo only allows payments by PayPal. So we decided to run our campaign in USD so that people may contribute also by credit card. Don’t worry! You may contribute from accounts in euro (or RON or other currencies) and the conversion will be done automatically.

What You Get

We have prepared lots of exciting perks for you:

• Your name on the Last Transhumance Facebook page of the movie.
• Private link to watch the film before or after its market release.
• A digital wallpaper of your choice from the project (longer side 1,024 px)
• Your name on the movie credits.
• Tickets to the premiere of "Last Transhumance" in Bucharest. Travel & lodging not included. The premiere is estimated for autumn 2017
• Photo album "Last transhumance", signed by the author. Printed in Italy at one of the best printing houses in the world, EBS Bortolazzi, in excellent graphic and printing conditions.
• Skype conversation with Dragos Lumpan.
• A print with a picture of your choice from the project (21x30 cm).
• A print with a picture of your choice from the project (30x42 cm).
• One-to-one photography workshop, for one day in Bucharest. Travel costs & accommodation not included.
• One-to-one photography workshop, for 3 days in a sheepfold in Romania. Travel expenses not included, accommodation at the sheepfold included.
• You can be officially sponsor of the film. Your name & logo will be on all our promotional materials.
• You can be officially co-producer of the film. Your name & logo will be on all our promotional materials.

The Impact

The title of the film wasn’t chosen for the sake of its dramatic sound. These ARE the last transhumances. These people and their way of life are not to be forgotten. Shepherds are strong enough to move mountains, which they actually did. They never back down and they never surrender to any obstacle. This is how they made their way into our history and this is how the history must remember them. The importance of this project goes beyond its artistic value. This film will be the last record of one of the things that shaped our history, out culture and ultimately our humanity.

The shepherds who still walk for hundreds and hundreds of miles in search of available pastures for their animals sleep outside most of the year, usually around their flocks protecting it.  They live in a parallel world not because they reject the modern times but because they embrace tradition. But the ones who still do it are fewer and fewer. The film will show the yearly cycle of life within these communities, showing their direct connection with nature cycle, with the astronomical calendar and with the people around them.  

Transhumance represents a cultural heritage that has molded for centuries the cultural landscape. Nowadays, transhumance is replaced by sedentary forms of sheep breeding. In many regions it is already extinct. The disappearing of transhumance affects not only the spiritual, social and cultural life, but also the mountain regions’ biodiversity.

In 2011 I released the photo album of this project. It was printed at Editoriale Bortolazzi Stei, in Italy, one of the best printing houses in the world. The result was excellent: amazing graphic and printing conditions!
Last Transhumance photographic project was very well received. There were 15 exhibitions in various countries in Europe.
“It is a classic! A wonderful record of a fading world.” – Keith Bowen, visual artist
“The world seems to be rushing at ever more frenetic speed, and we have less time for each other, and less time to think about what really matters. The people may have a key to this. Those who look after the land are a precious human resource and this is one of many reasons why Dragoş Lumpan’s photographs are valuable. He knows he can’t change anything, but simply by drawing attention to the phenomenon, which even in hi-tech Wales looks almost archaic, he may help it to survive.” – Caroline Juler, visual artist, author of the guide „Romania” – National Geographic.

Risks & Challenges

For the contributors there are no risks because our perks are already produced: the photo album exists and the film and the photos had already been shot.

In case we do not gather all the amount we hope to, there is the risk that the post-production will be delayed by a few months.

Other Ways You Can Help

Last Transhumance is an independent film. During the last 9 years, the project has experienced many financial ups and downs. So, if you want to help, but you have no resources, we totally understand. Still, how can you contribute?

You can support Last Transhumance by simply spreading the word. Tell your friends about it using Indiegogo sharing tools and all the other social networks: Facebook, Twitter,  Instagram , Google+ or sharing updates that are released here on indiegogo or transhumance.ro/en/