FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Now filming: “People & Culture of Bahrain” 
February 12, 2004

Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain – The Communications Company LLC announced today that they are filming a 56-minute documentary here on an ambitious 45-day schedule.

The company is in the Kingdom to gather footage for the first in a series of educational initiatives on the people and culture of the entire Arabian Gulf region. “Bahrain, with all its friendly ties to the U.S. and its very progressive economy and leadership, seemed a good country to be the first,”, stated Christel Crane, Senior Producer. “Editing the film will take several months to complete, but we will launch the companion website and begin the promotional effort when we return to the states. There is tremendous demand from teachers and students and we’re determined to get this project done to promote understanding between the cultures.” 

Director of Photography Calvin Crane has budgeted up to 13,000 feet of Eastman Kodak motion picture film including some of the new Vision II stocks. “Eastman Kodak was just amazing, providing us with the special film stocks we needed and on really short notice.” He will use a new Kodak digital still camera to capture the hundreds of pictures required for the companion educational website.

Christel Crane is the mother of four children and reported that friends and family were concerned when they learned of her plans to travel to the Middle East. “I knew from our earlier trip here last year what a peaceful and safe country this is. We simply ordered mobile phones from the phone company Batelco and called everyone up!”

There are two other U.S. members on the team as well as local crew. Both young men are amazed at how easy it is to get around, how many familiar restaurants there are, and the quality of the malls in the Kingdom. “I really feel at home here,” says audio tech Samuel Fischer, “we can eat KFC, McDonald’s or try some of the interesting local dishes like their cheese bread that we get at vendors.” 1st AC James P. Zakhem lived in Bahrain as the son of a U.S. diplomat in the late eighties: “it’s incredible how much has changed in just a dozen years. There are malls and expressways now where there was nothing before.”

The film crew has been filming street scenes, the ancient Barbar temple site, Riffa Fortress and sail boat races at the Bahrain Yacht Club. They expect to begin interviews with high school students and filming at local schools within the next two weeks.

 Please contact Christel M. Crane, Senior Producer (producer@tcom2.com) for more information.  Florida Office: 321.242.7960      Washington DC Office: 571.242.1080

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