Hello again! Welcome to the sixth edition of ‘Zenrei’s Zone’, a newsletter dedicated to creation and contemplation. This time, there’s a new EP, a film update, and beats.
Enjoy and thank you for reading! Any support, from sharing to subscribing, is deeply appreciated. I’ve been getting some lovely feedback, and it would be nice to see this grow.
Roots
Roots: Anthems of Astland is now available on all platforms. The cover was a shot I took on a Zenit EM I used to have, which broke after this one roll - almost as if its single function was for this picture, which I treasure. The land is dark and scarred from its labour, yet the grass still grows. My home held me as I mourned, and this is my thanks to it.
Here’s a linktree with links to platforms. It’s also available to pre-order on cassette and CD - both limited runs of 10. Money will go towards funding my film (details below):
Empathy and eternity
‘Empathy & Eternity’ is a short black & white documentary film using a mixture of interviews, poetry and prose to explore the story of George Evans, an evacuee child who was whisked from the slums of Liverpool to a bucolic corner of Shropshire during WWII. The film examines at the places he stayed, the interpersonal dramas that played out between his adoptive family and mother at home, the wider world in which this drama played out, and the passing of the torch through generations.
Covering the history of evacuees in England is incredibly timely given the ongoing war in Ukraine and the strong presence of evacuees in England and much beyond due to the conflict. Making this historical link is important for maintaining and increasing empathy. Furthermore, the film explores the socio-economic inequalities of the time and the juxtaposition of my father's background with a very wealthy brewing family's estate which he stayed at. In a time of prominent economic disparity and a cost of living crisis in the UK, relaying the historical continuation of this also puts our struggles into a wider perspective and increases the potential for unity.
The film is being produced, shot and edited by (very over-qualified) volunteers from 28 July - 4 August. With volunteers and their equipment, we’ve managed to make it a very low-budget operation, and we are trying to cover accommodation. We are trying to raise money for shooting, our £500 pound target reflects most of this (£800).
Any contributors to the film will be thanked in the credits and invited to the screenings, which are planned in London, Southport and Tenbury Wells! Any donations would be a blessing:
Beatmaking
A little different this month - just the one, but I think my first almost fully arranged song, called ‘Handshakes / For you’.
Here’s the lyrics I’ve got for it, as of yet unrecorded:
I did it in one-take
No room for misstakes
And no room for mistakes
As long as this shit takes
Firm heart, but my hand shakes
That’s from all from the handshakes x2
And if you’re wanting an update
Been learning, been up late
I was distant and shaken
You’ve been sleeping on me, I’ve been sleeping too
Let’s both awaken
Love,
Zenrei