Zamani, 3-D documentary series set to go into production in mid-2014, and dedicated to documenting the World Heritage sites of the African continent, has been selected for the official programme of the World Design Capital Cape Town 2014. Zamani means “the past’ in Swahili and “Zamani Project” is the original name given to the mission led by a team of four who have been documenting heritage sites for close to 10 years across Africa.
Under the expert supervision of Professor Heinz Ruther, The Zamani Project was initiated in the Geomatics Division of the University of Cape Town, partly funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and endorsed by (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
The project is based on state-of-the art data acquisition and presentation technologies, including laser scanning and close range photogrammetry, which are used to generate Geographic Information Systems, 3D computer models and other spatial data.
Production of the series will be officially launched during an event in the city mid-2014.
Man Makes a Picture (MMaP), a Capetonian production company, has developed the Zamani Project documentary series concept. They are currently promoting the series locally and internationally, to finance the projected R30 million production budget via sponsorships and international TV coproductions and presales.
The series will uncover how the most interesting heritage sites in Africa came into existence and why, and also how they have transformed into complex “Cultural Landscapes’, through their role and meaning for the local population today.
Each episode will document various sites in different Sub-Saharan countries grouped by theme, such as “The Gold Trade’, “Man’s Footprint’ or “Castles and Fortresses’.
The Zamani Project Documentary series will combine travel and adventure, following the Zamani geomatic experts Heinz Ruther and Roshan Burtha as they discover and document the sites, sometimes in very intriguing and remote environments, state-of-the-art 3D entertainment and interviews with historians and local residents.
Worldwide distribution of this TV programme and its educational spin-offs will promote worldwide awareness of the richness of these “Cultural Landscapes’, constructed in the Past and inhabited by the Present.
The Zamani Project Documentary Teaser can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da5R2A73Fps.
Professionals can contact showrunner Joanna Tomkins for more information at: Joanna@manmakesapicture.co.za.
