Synopsis
Sand Path addresses migration, by telling the family story of the Canarian-German actress and director Aïda Ballmann who travels through Senegal visiting the places where her parents lived before she was born. In this adventure she discovers that her identity is the product of a Senegalese, Canarian and German cultural mix.
Sand Path invites you to reflect on humanity, cultural mixtures and the learning opportunity offered by this diversity. Beyond that, humans have much more in common than differences. From that point of view, what is the point of wars and borders?
Sand Path
Documentary Film by
Aïda Ballmann
Technical data
Título: Sand Path| Camino de tierra | Sandweg
Gender: Short documentary film, road movie
Theme: Migration, integration
Year: 2018
Status: Distribution in Mowies.com
Director: Aïda Ballmann
Production company: Arteria Films
Duration: 21´
Format: Television
Countries: Senegal | Gambia | Europa
Languages: English, German, Spanish, Ollof & French
Camera: Sony Exmor R SteadyShot
Photos of the filming
Previous
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Credits
Treatment
Characters
Locations
Biographies
Credits
Script, production, camera, direction & voice over: Aïda Ballmann
Edition: Génesis Lence
Color correction, stopmotion & graphic design: Selu Vega
Original music & sound mixing: Kiko Castro en Arteria films
Traditional songs: Denis Singila & Atty
Thanks to: Family Ballmann, Cheikh Coli and family, Abdoulaye Diedhiou and family, Lamin Manneh and family, Eva Gamallo, Lamin Tamba, Lars Ostmann, Neighbours of Baja Kunda, Ginac and Djembering, Jerejef Organisation, JJ Montero, Eustaquio Álvarez, Alexis W, José Carlos Domínguez, Peter Vere Simmons and, specially to Jordi Suñol for his help and love to the children. Rest in peace.
Treatment
Four chapters are shown in this documentary, filled with vivid images, accompanied by the voice-over from Aïda Ballmann and traditional African music that is mixed with European music. The chapters are:
1. Contrast (cultural difference between Europe and Africa)
2. Integration (in the African routine)
3. Encounter (with “lost” friends of Aïda’s parents)
4. Return (of the Ballmann family to Gambia and Senegal)
Characters
LEADING ROLES
Aïda Ballmann, actress and director, tells the story of how she perceives the cultural contrast as a positive aspect of which the human being can benefit, choosing the positive values of different cultures and assuming them as their own.
Ballmann Sister’s and the parents, Kitabo and Aminata, who emigrated to Senegal and from there to the Canary Islands in search of paradise on earth.
SECONDARY CHARACTERS
Coli Family, friends from Kitabo and Aminata. They housed the parents of Aïda Ballmann for several years, integrating them in the clan (Senegal)
Diedhou Family, friends from Kitabo and Aminata (Senegal)
Lamin Tamba, artist and friend of Kitabo (Senegal)
Manneh Family, friends of Aïda Ballmann (Gambia)
Locations
Senegal: Dakar, Ziguinchor, Kap Skirring, Boucotte, Djémbering,…
Gambia: Baja Kunda, Banjul, Ginac,…
Europa: El Hierro (Canarias, Spain) & Venice (Italy)
Biographies
SCRIPT, PRODUCTION, CAMARA, DIRECTION & VOICE OVER
Aïda Ballmann, she is a Spanish-German actress and director, writer, camera and producer of this project. Known as an actress for her participation in series such as El tiempo entre costuras, Águila Roja, Lo que escondían sus ojos, Brigada de fenómenos, etc. And featured in films such as The Extraodinary Tale and La velocidad de nuestros pensamientos. Awarded with three awards as best actress, she begins with Sand Path her career as director, following the need of sharing her realities and offering different points of view to the spectator. Aïda Ballmann inició este viaje por varias motivaciones: Cansada de la rutina europea, de la ansiedad de correr tras objetivos dejando pasar el presente y por una curiosidad de conocer el pasado de sus padres antes de que naciera, fruto de ello son este documental y las reflexiones sobre la humanidad y las migraciones.
EDITION
Génesis Lence, editor, director and photographer. Known for her work in documentaries like Los fantasmas del deseo from Paco Millán, Vida is Antarctica for DNA and CSIC, Innovación Biomédica, Houston tenemos un problema from Álvaro Toepke and the short film Sordas (director).
Génesis Lence
COLOUR CORRECTION, STOPMOTION & GRAPHIC DESIGN
Selu Vega, award-winning documentary and travel photographer, known for his book Indianos en La Palma, isleños en Cuba.
SOUND MIXING & ORIGINAL MUSIC
Kiko Castro, director, actor, musician and sound technician. Director of post-production and dubbing studio Arteria Films. He has worked in featured films and documentaries like La marcha indignada, Cubillo, Historia de un crimen de estado, Los chicos del puerto, No culpes al karma de lo que te pasa gilipollas, Maresía, A garden in the city,…
TRADITIONAL SONGS (Senegal)
Denis Singila & Atty