AND THE WINNERS ARE

The awards were announced at a private dinner with the Prince and Princess of Monaco where sequined dresses and champagne were abundant. Ian and I were invited to attend and we were lucky enough to be able to film. The formal awards are presented at the Gala show in the tent the next night, but the dinner party is where performers hear the results for the first time and the reactions were PRICELESS!

3 of our 5 acts WON BIG, including the GOLDEN CLOWN. Two silvers and one gold. Pretty amazing.







Now it's off to Paris for 3 days of interviews and to see the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain. Then "home" on Feb. 1st, where it will be back to reality, editing, and whatever the future holds.

ALSO -
lots of NEW PHOTOS on facebook (click link)
and NEW VIDEO (click link)
Enjoy & pass along!

THE COMPETITION

PHEW. What a day for everyone. After 16 hours on our feet, 6 tapes, two 32 GB cards, and all our camera batteries the first show / competition of the 34th Monte Carlo Festival was over. It seems like a massive amount of footage - well it is - but we have to remember we were following five different acts, five different stories. And two of the acts have troups of over 10 members. We need more cameras, more people, more feet and shoulders to replace our hurting ones, but I think we did it. Then we got home and had to transfer all the footage to storage so we can erase and start over again tomorrow. I love when my phone tells me "alarm will go off in 3hrs".

The next night -tonight - Friday -we were able to watch the show, because "program B" (there are 2 programs) doesn't have all of our acts in it. Quite an amazing show, about 3 acts got standing ovations and the crowed stood and clapped for almost 5min after the 4 1/2 hour show was over.

I also witnessed this event today as Ian and I stood by the lion cages chatting with Rob Torres, the American clown, he was in his street clothes-
A teenager with his mother walked up and interrupted "Mr. Torres, I just wanted to say hi and meet you, can I take your picture?" The boy was from Finland and was in town with his family for the Festival.

OUR ALL ACCESS PASS

We've made it to THE event - what its all about. Can't get much more circus than this and some how we've landed in the middle of it, doors wide open to our cameras.

The permanent circus tent of the Monte Carlo Circus Festival sits in a park, castle to one side, sea in front, and cliffs behind.

It is just wonderful to show up and see all the friends we've made on our tour of Europe this past month - and Day One of Festival filming was exactly a month into this adventure. Crazy to think back to Day One in Germany.

We watched the clowns file out today for a photo opp with the Princess of Monaco. About 15 cameras flashed away as the sea lions smiled and the 4 clowns posed. Quite an event and it hasn't even started.

OFF TO MONTE CARLO

Got some great interviews in Verona -


The Verona circus documentation center. So many old books and posters!
http://www.articircensi.org/index1.htm#





Interview with the President of the Circus Friends Association (Club Amici Del Circo) and member of the Commission at Ministery of Culture for Circusses.
http://www.amicidelcirco.net/






Filmed and interviewed at the Verona circus school. A boarding school for circus family kids ages 10-16. A very cool stop!
http://www.circo.it/



We'll make the 4 1/2 hour drive to our apartment just outside of Monaco, which we will gladly call home for 2 1/2 weeks. Tomorrow we will meet Martin Lacey Jr. (Lion act) on the road with his trailers and 17 lions.

ITALY & REEL CHICAGO ARTICLE!

We left Paris at 6am on the 6th to drive 10 hours to Verona Italy. Of course, it took us 45 minutes to find our way out of Paris, but once on the road the driving was clear with snowy mountains and
endless castles as our entertainment.






Margaret, an old friend, has joined us for a week of adventures. As a partial French speaker and good traveler she is a welcomed addition!

We love Verona's cobble stoned streets and modern stores set inside century old buildings. I like that the language is close to Spanish, this is one country that if English doesn't work I can resort to Spanish and there is a chance they'll understand. Just add a big extra ooomph on any "e" or "o" with a hand gesture and you're good.A NEW ARTICLE was written on "Issitt" and "Snow" in REEL CHICAGO.com in the Indie Focus section. It is an online film magazine and a great article about the film!

CHECK IT OUT
http://www.reelchicago.com/story.cfm?storyID=2652

NEW VIDEO - LIONS!!!!

CLICK HERE! - New video.

-Martin Lacey Jr., Stuttgart Germany 12/17/2009

A little old in our travels, but finally found some time in Paris to edit something and get it up online. Of course, "finding time" means not sleeping, but who needs that thing?! Life is too exciting -- coffee, wine, cheese and bread will fix any lacking in sleep.

Filmed the sunset over Paris today. Eiffel Tower and a golden ball. Hard to keep up with all the travels and what country we are in, but it was quite a sight to see.

KEEP DONATING & SPREADING THE WORD! Money is on it's way!

NEWSLETTER 4 - HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM PARIS!

WORLD CIRCUS CULTURE

http://www.tothemoonproductions.com/worldcircus.html (FILM'S PAGE)

HELLO FROM PARIS

Hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday and the start of a New Year full of everything you could ever want. I can’t imagine things much better. We have been to 5 countries and are only half done! Filming has met all dreams I had about the project. The people and stories are amazing and doors have been opened to us wherever we go.
Follow us on our BLOG! http://worldcircusculture.blogspot.com/

DONATIONS!
CLICK HERE -http://www.tothemoonproductions.com/circusdonate/ (new easy site)

• Raised to date: about $2,700. MUCH more needed! Thank you so much for all the support, please help keep it coming!
  
• Help us start the New Year with funding for the film! Donate $5 from your Christmas money or $100 from your holiday bonus. Everything counts!
  
  

NEWS!

• We are filming at three circus schools in London, Paris, and Italy.
  
• We are filming at one of the oldest perminent circus buildings in Paris - Cirque d'hiver
  
• The New England Center for Circus Arts had a very nice write-up and link for the film in their January Newsletter.
  

PRODUCTION!

• FIRST VIDEO !!!- somehow we found time to edit a short video from some of the filming we have done so far.
• PHOTOS have been uploaded to our facebook page - See US in action & all the ACTS - VISIT HERE
  
• QUOTES FROM THE ROAD:
  Martin Lacey, Lion act – “It’s not a job, it’s my life.”
  Petra Duss, Sea Lion act – “I was a secretary and then met Roland and fell in love with him and the sea lions. I traded in my typewriter for a fish bucket.”
  Daughter in the Kazakhstan strap act – “Ok, I’m going to go fly now.”
  Rob Torres, American clown – “By being a clown, I never have to grow up"
  Tim Roberts, Director of Circus Space, London – “circus performers are metaphors for the human condition"
  
  

Follow our travels with photos & stories on THE BLOG- http://worldcircusculture.blogspot.com/

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

http://www.tothemoonproductions.com/worldcircus.html

To unsubscribe to this "newsletter of sorts" reply to this email with "unsubscribe" in the subject line.

*If this has been forwarded to you and you would like to sign up to receive this "newsletter of sorts" regularly - email tothemoonproductions@gmail.com or sign up on the website

NEWSLETTER 3 - IN EUROPE, VIDEO & Cirque du Soleil BIG NEWS

Forgot to post this when I sent it....

WORLD CIRCUS CULTURE

http://www.tothemoonproductions.com/worldcircus.html

(FILM'S PAGE)


We have arrived in EUROPE! Follow us on our BLOG for a NEW VIDEO & photos! http://worldcircusculture.blogspot.com/


DONATIONS!
CLICK HERE -http://www.tothemoonproductions.com/circusdonate/

A NEW donation site. Much EASIER - payment method through credit card on Pay Pal or with a check.
All still tax deductible & with rewards!

Make checks out to our Fiscal Sponsor, Acrobrats, Inc. & reference "Documentary" on the “For” line. Send to:

Acrobrats, Inc.

P.O. Box 1970

Madison Sq. Station
New York, NY 10159

• It's up to YOU! With being on the road I have to concentrate on filming and can't make my 100 calls a day for marketing and fundrasing, so I leave it in YOUR hands. PLEASE HELP. Don't procrastinate!

NEWS!

• THE BIG EXCITING NEWS!! We have finally received permission to highlight and film an act from Cirque du Soleil that will be competing at the Festival. It's a stunning act & a really important name to have attached to the film.
  
• Another NEW ACT is Troupe Yakubov from Kazakhstan. Just after they were accepted to the festival they have had to recruit 4 new performers from China. They are now frantically rehearsing, trying to make this new act as good as the one originally accepted.
  
• New write-ups on the film - see CIRCUS HISTORICAL SITE and AMERICAN YOUTH CIRCUS
  

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT & SEE VIDEOS & PHOTOS FOR ALL THE ACTS WE ARE FOLLOWING

PRODUCTION!

• New countries! See updated MAP LINK Italy & Belgium have been added!!
  
• While we're traveling I will update the BLOG as much as possible. Keep updated for notes on what town we're in, who we're filming, and PHOTOS & VIDEOS!
  

THE BLOG- http://worldcircusculture.blogspot.com/

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

http://www.tothemoonproductions.com/worldcircus.html

*If this has been forwarded to you and you would like to sign up to receive this "newsletter of sorts" regularly - email tothemoonproductions@gmail.com or sign up on the website