Production is well underway on Botso, a feature-length non-profit documentary film on the life and legacy of Dr. Wachtang "Botso" Korisheli.
Botso's story has become legendary -- including a wise goodbye from his famous father just before the latter's sudden execution in the Soviet Union, then Botso's own imprisonment under the regimes of both Stalin and Hitler.
Botso's new life eventually brought him to Morro Bay, a small coastal village in California, where he taught and inspired thousands of children on not just how to become great musicians and artists, but how to become remarkable human beings.
The film will explore the fascinating life and philosophy of Dr. Korisheli, including the potent themes of human resilience and what inspires the creative process. Also featured will be in-depth interviews with Botso; his colleagues and members of his family, as well as current and former students -- including five-time Grammy Award winner Kent Nagano. A team of Central Coast and Georgian filmmakers spent two weeks on location in the Republic of Georgia during July of 2007. There, they captured the unique and vibrant culture of Botso's birthplace, and examined the brutal challenges he and his family faced in this former Soviet province. Artistic recreations, archival photographs and vintage movie clips will be seamlessly blended into the final digital editing process.
The film will be marketed to a wide audience. Submission to prominent
international film festivals, such as Telluride, Sundance and Venice, will be
followed by distribution to theatres nationwide that specialize in independent
film. In today's movie market, documentaries have never been hotter. The movie
will later be made available to educators, libraries, houses of worship and
motivational workshops, as well as art and music schools.
The budget for BOTSO is a modest $140,000. To date, $60,000 has been raised through tax-deductible donations and grants. $80,000 is still needed to complete post-production and marketing of this inspirational film. ALL of the profits from distribution will go directly into a special endowment fund established by the San Luis Obispo Symphony, which operates in conjunction with the San Obispo County Youth Symphony -- a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
The filmmakers are Thomas Walters, director/producer; Hilary Grant, writer/producer, and Simo Nylander, director of photography.
Director/Producer Thomas Walters has produced and directed more than 50 educational films and two internationally distributed documentaries, "Therapeutic Community" and "Evolution of a Group." Clients have included Wadsworth Publishing, Thomson Learning, and Jobson Publishing.
Writer/Producer Hilary Grant is a veteran documentary producer whose network television credits include the multi-Emmy nominated "Unsolved Mysteries," the
Sci-Fi Channel hit "Sightings" and "Against All Odds." She is also a print journalist, with bylines in publications including "People," "Seventeen," "Ms." and "Westways."
Director of Photography Simo Nylander has been a film/television cameraman, editor and director for more than two decades. A graduate of Brooks Institute, he is currently Executive Production Director for Aspect Studios, which has produced two recent series for PBS, and content for Animal Planet, MTV, and Nickelodeon TV.
Associate Producer/Consultant Anthony Peckham has written for 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Warner Brothers and MGM. Credits include "Don't Say A Word," starring Michael Douglas; "Five Days 'Til Midnight," starring Timothy Hutton, and "The Human Factor," starring Morgan Freeman (2009 release).
Completion of filming and editing is slated for Summer 2010. The project is a joint effort of Cinema House Films, the San Luis Obispo Symphony and Aspect Studios.
