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Running Home: a Documentary

this is a documentary on a daughter’s journey to find her roots in the drylands of the sahara desert

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Running Home: a Documentary

Running Home: a Documentary

Running Home: a Documentary

Running Home: a Documentary

Running Home: a Documentary

this is a documentary on a daughter’s journey to find her roots in the drylands of the sahara desert

this is a documentary on a daughter’s journey to find her roots in the drylands of the sahara desert

this is a documentary on a daughter’s journey to find her roots in the drylands of the sahara desert

this is a documentary on a daughter’s journey to find her roots in the drylands of the sahara desert

Inma Zanoguera
Inma Zanoguera
Inma Zanoguera
Inma Zanoguera
1 Campaign |
Toledo, United States
$6,315 USD by 81 backers
$5,910 USD by 72 backers on Feb 23, 2018
Overview
under the unforgiving sun of the Sahara desert, i have set out to run the 26,2 miles that connect the refugee camps of Laayoune, Auserd, and Smara. this challenge moves beyond the physical for me: running this marathon is a spiritual journey back to the origins of who i am, who my mother and my ancestors were, and above all, a journey back home.

the documentary

in the Sahara Desert in Tindouf, Algeria, is a community of close to 100,000 Saharawi refugees who, after escaping war over 40 years ago, are still unable to return to their homeland. the 42 km that constitute the Western Sahara Marathon connect the refugee camps of Laayoune, Auserd, and Smara, a symbolic route through which runners will endure, for a few hours, the harshness of the land that is now home of over 100,000 Sarahawi refugees: the dry, hot climate of western Africa, a landscape of flat, dusty terrain under a clear blue sky, and the blissfulness of the uninterrupted vacancy that stretches miles and miles before one’s eyes.

this is where, in february, inma zanoguera will be running a marathon—among people who feel the same fears that come with displacement that her biological mother had to face. inma has never known about her family history until this year.

hers is a story we can all connect with—the search for one’s identity and understanding of one’s roots, as well as overcoming mental and physical struggle.

the documentary will follow inma’s training regimen in Toledo, Ohio, where she is currently studying; her family life back home in Mallorca, Spain; and her journey in Tindouf where she will be staying with a refugee family and running the marathon.

 

the team

 

Michelle-Andrea Girouard

Director / Cinematographer

Michelle-Andrea Girouard graduated from Toronto’s Ryerson University in journalism, where she earned the HaakSaan Award for Excellence in Online Reporting. she’s worked as a director, producer and shooter on multiple Canadian digital projects for the Globe and Mail, Maclean’s Magazine, Sportsnet, CBCNews.ca, among others. her work has taken her across the globe to the United States, Singapore, Spain, Portugal and Switzerland. her goal is to create visual, compelling stories on women, struggle and empowerment.

 

Inma Zanoguera

Daughter / Story Teller / Runner

Inma is native of Mallorca, Spain, but has lived in the city of Toledo, Ohio, since 2011. for 15 years, she breathed and lived basketball, and with hard work and a strike of luck, she earned a full scholarship to play d1 basketball at the University of Toledo. after graduating and after a quick shot at professional basketball, she decided to put an end to her career and focus on attaining her master’s degree, also in Toledo, where she is currently studying, working as a teacher of English, and running the trails of Toledo's metroparks. questions about her origins and the undertaking of running as a new sports challenge arose simultaneously, and the idea of running the Sahara Marathon was born.

 

the story

the story of the western sahara is one of universal resonance. this is the story of the daily injustices faced by oppressed people across border and nations. however, it is also unique, for this is the story of “the last colony,” the only territory in Africa that has yet to gain independence since the colonization of the continent centuries ago.

there is a saying among the saharawis: “in the marathon of life, resistance is victory.” the people of the western sahara have known about resistance for the last 42 years. for over four decades now, saharawis have been under moroccan occupation, who in 1975 took over the land of the western sahara.

this is a story of colonization, and as such, violence against the saharawi has reigned in order to keep the restless saharawi resistance at bay. beatings, killings, tortures, and imprisonments without a trial are an everyday reality for those who show any sign of opposition to moroccan forces in the occupied territories.

this a story of greed and thievery. from the saharawi, the kingdom of morocco has appropriated natural resources, culture and customs, and the peace and prosperity of the indigenous people who had previously lived in nomadic tribes, with mother nature and ancestors’ wisdom as their only rulers.

this documentary is about the western sahara and about a heartbreaking reality that permeates the whole of human societies: justice for some, is justice for none. this is a story that illustrates the incompetency of diplomatic action in the continent of africa, and the injustice of a world order that still benefits currency over humanity. in 1991, the united nations promised the saharawi people a referendum for independence. hopeful, hopeless, peacefully, and in battle—in 2018, the saharawi people are still waiting.

this is a story of brave people who do not bend to the rule of arms. each year, events like the sahara marathon and the fisahara film festival are organized by the saharawi, with help from many sympathizers from all over the world and the intent to inform the international community about a conflict that has been silenced under the interest of those who profit from the occupation.

 

my role

my role is a small and humble one.

my siblings and i come from a family of saharawi refugees who fled to Spain after the Moroccan invasion. the harshness and emotionally grueling life of a refugee goes beyond the scope of anyone who has not been a refugee herself. i am lucky enough not to understand what it’s like. but the tragic reality of this day and age is that millions of people could describe such a life in detail. my late mom among them. for her, poverty, acculturative stress, emotional trauma, and ultimately cancer, made raising three children an impossibility. we were given up for adoption, and our blessings multiplied when we landed in the family we call our family today. for the first two decades of my life, fear kept me from wanting to learn about the origins of my family. today, an unquenchable thirst for the truth has placed me face to face with this harsh realization: that my mother, my biological family, and my people, all have lived and continue to live a life void of freedom and the basic principles stated in the declaration of universal human rights.

in other words: everything that my daily life is antithetical to. anywhere i turn, all i see is privilege, beauty, and comfort. when i left home at age 17 to move where i currently live, in toledo, ohio, i was encountered by a community of loving, selfless people that accepted and took me in as one more member of their family. at home, i see the breathtaking landscapes of mallorca, where my siblings and i were born and raised. i see a loving family that provides, supports, and loves me beyond what words can say. i see the lives of my loved ones, and how little i must worry about police forces beating them, famine taking their lives, or landmines exploding as they walk around their neighborhoods. i see my luck and i realize that’s all it is—luck. one coin toss is what separates me from those thousands of people who reside in refugee camps or in the occupied territories in the western sahara.

my experience on earth is a small and humble one, but it is the only one i have, and with it i intend to pay tribute to this lucky turn of events that is my life. this ambition is what drove me to embark on a journey to the land of the sahara. nothing that i do from the comfort of my life seems to hold any amount of meaning when i think of the many whose lives are spent in refugee camps of tindouf, in a perpetually suspended state of hopeful waiting.

 

my vision

with this documentary i hope to bring to light an issue that has been kept in the shadows for too many decades. i believe that people will resonate and sympathize with the saharawi cause regardless of their past or present circumstances, because as humans, we innately feel the interconnectedness that binds us all: all peoples, all countries, all across regional and national borders. i believe, most of all, in our shared basic instinct that drives us to help our brothers and sisters, through whatever means are available to us.

for me, this journey has become my personal duty to my past and my luck: to use my story, my urge to lace up a pair of shoes and run 26 miles across the desert, and to document it all in a feature film, in order to spread awareness about the saharawi cause and raise money for the displaced families living in the refugee camps.

 

your role

i believe it is also my duty to face the fact that we can’t do this alone, and to muster up the courage to publicly ask for donations. you are encouraged to help this cause if this story is one you believe in. any donation, however big or small, will make a difference. so far, on our own and with the help of inma’s extremely supporting family, we have self-funded our travels, our equipment, and production and filming costs. however, we are quickly learning that in order to extend our vision and take the movie to film festivals, and to raise awareness, understanding and compassion for the saharawi, financial support will be needed. our goal may seem like a very large amount, and it is, that’s why we believe it’s important to show exactly where the money will be allocated.  in addition to funding the film, 20% of the donations will go directly to the refugee camps through the organization of the sahara marathon.

 

your donations will be allocated to the following:

total: $5,000

equipment: $2,000

travel: $2,500

donations: $1000

 

a word on gratitude 

however small your contribution in terms of amount, our gratitude for you is nevertheless immense. for me personally, to have my friends, relatives, acquaintances, anonymous, or whoever you are, help me in bringing my story--and the story of the saharawi people--to the world, means more than i could express through the written word.

thank you for accompanying us in this journey.

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Choose your Perk

helper

$5 USD $6 USD (16% off)
thank you! you are now part of the journey
Included Items
  • you are part of the journey
2 claimed

contributor

$10 USD $11 USD (9% off)
you have contributed to developing this film, and i would like to personally thank you via email.
Included Items
  • you are part of the journey
  • thank you email
7 claimed

viewer

$25 USD $26 USD (3% off)
aside from thanking you personally, we will send you access to the film once it's done!
Included Items
  • thank you email
  • digital access to the film
14 claimed

rockstar

$50 USD $51 USD (1% off)
by making this contribution, you have become our rockstar. access to the film, plus a handwritten note to your mailbox is the least we can do. in addition, your name will be on the credits of the film under "special thanks"
Included Items
  • digital access to the film
  • handwritten card
  • name on credits
Estimated Shipping
March 2018
17 claimed
Ships worldwide.

VIP

$100 USD $101 USD (0% off)
your contribution is incredibly generous, and in your mailbox you will receive a gratitude letter from us, and a postcard with michelle's photography during the trip.
Included Items
  • digital access to the film
  • handwritten card
  • michelle's photography
  • name on credits
Estimated Shipping
March 2018
18 claimed
Ships worldwide.

VIP + reader

$500 USD $501 USD (0% off)
during our travels, i will be carrying a notebook where i will document our journey through the written word. with a digital copy of my diaries, you will see the journey through my eyes. with me, you will meet the saharawi people as i meet them. these pages will tell the story of the documentary as i experience it.
Included Items
  • digital access to the film
  • handwritten card
  • michelle's photography
  • inma's diaries
  • name on credits
Estimated Shipping
March 2018
0 claimed
Ships worldwide.

executive producer

$1,000 USD $1,001 USD (0% off)
you are now a crucial part of the development of this film. we are extremely humbled by your generosity and grateful for you. you get all the perks, and in addition, your name will be on the credits of the film under the title of executive producer.
Included Items
  • handwritten card
  • michelle's photography
  • inma's diaries
  • executive producer on credits
Estimated Shipping
March 2018
0 claimed
Ships worldwide.

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