Research trip for Las Matadoras
Supporting Xplore the World as we travel to Spain to do research for "Las Matadoras" while making a trailer to send to investors.
Project Description
I'm Charysse Tia Harper - the founder of Xplore the World, a documentary production company that explore social and traditional issues - one country and culture at a time. We have nine documentaries under our belt and are looking at making our next one.
In our latest film, Las Matadoras, we will touch upon three themes: 1) masculinity (women in the arena); 2) culture (traditions of bullfighting); and, 3) paradigm shift (the call to stop the bullfights). I will be documenting these subjects in Spain, México and Perú.
In July 2024, I would like to undertake a research trip to Spain to conduct preliminary interviews and capture footage to make a trailer to send to investors to get this project made. I am asking for your support to finance this trip, which is budgeted at €1,230 EUR/ $1,318 USD / £1,041 GBP. In return, I will add your name and/or business in the end credits of the trailer.
Earlier this month (June 2024), I went to Spain for four days to make contacts in tauromaquia (bullfighting) and learn more about this world. It is to know the mindset of the matadora and immerse myself to gain a better understanding of the people. During this time, I connected with a bull breeding association (Asociación de Ganaderias de Lidia), an animal rights group (PACMA - Partido Animalista Contra el Maltrato Animal), a bullfighting research library (Bullfighting Library José María de Cossío) an aficionado/ bullfighting historian (Alexander Fiske-Harrison) and an author who focuses on masculinity in bullfighting (Tristan Wood). I also visited four corrida de toros (bullfighting arenas) in Madrid, Córdoba, Sevilla and Toledo, while watching a corrida de rejones (bullfighting on horseback) in the final city. This is where I saw Léa Vicens, a rejoneadora (female bullfighter on horseback).
In July, I will have on-camera interviews with those who I connected with (as listed above). I would also like to meet Cristina Sánchez, the first woman to complete her alternativa (a test that must be passed to earn the title of ‘matador’). Cristina is retired and works as commentator for Fighting Bull Foundation.
I will also attend two corrida de toros (one in the famed Plaza de Toros Las Ventas in Madrid and another in Plaza de Toros de Valencia - both are category one bullrings in Spain), meet with potential advisors for Las Matadoras, investigate more details on the history of tauromaquia at Bullfighting Library José María de Cossío, speak to producers of local TV networks (Telemadrid and RTVE) and assemble my crew who will be working on the feature film.
Once this trip is completed, I will create a two-minute trailer by the end of August that I will send to supporters of the full production of Las Matadoras. Once responses are made, I will finalize all members of the crew, along with conducting further research in Perú and México that will be covered by the funds given by the investors.
About me:
Charysse Tia Harper
+44 79 1671 0465 (mobile/WhatsApp)
My previous films:
- The Jill of the Trade - hearing from five women from around the world who work in male-dominated professions
- The Other Side of Carnival - exploring the socioeconomic side of Trinidad & Tobago’s Carnival
- First Weekend February - uncovering the pressures Super Bowl host cities face
- 12 Months - a man rents his Los Angeles home to a homeless woman and her four children for $1 per month for a year.
The Campaign FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions:
- What dates will you be traveling?
- My dates are not finalized, but I am looking at 21-29 July 2024.
- Where will you be traveling to/from?
- I will take a roundtrip flight from London to Madrid.
- Which cities will you be visiting in Spain?
- I will be in Madrid most of the time, but will visit a corrida de toros (bullfight) in Valencia. I anticipate spending one night in Valencia. However, I will travel to wherever the story is. If I meet someone who can grant me an interview in Málaga, for example, I will look to travel there via the most economical mode of transportation.
- Where will you stay in Spain?
- I am looking to rent a room in someone’s home each night in order to keep the cost low.
- How long will the trailer be?
- The trailer will be no more than two minutes long.
- Which investors will receive the trailer?
- I will be sending the trailer to investors who have an interest in cultural stories (i.e: PBS, Netflix, BBC), but will also be seeking those in Spain (i.e: Ministry of Culture, Telemadrid).
- Will you be going alone?
- Yes. I will be traveling alone and recording all the interviews by myself.
- When do you plan on filming the feature film?
Bullfighting is a seasonal affair in Spain and México, but not in Perú. The plan would be that once the funds are reached to cover one country, my crew and I would travel there to film. If this occurs during the bullfighting season of Spain and México, going to one of those would be priority. However, if it does not, filming in Perú will take place. There is no set timeline to film, but I would hope there would be funds raised to film one country before the end of 2024.
We all know about the cost-of-living crisis. Some people have more expendable cash than others. Therefore, no matter what you can give, your name (and/or the name of your business) will be listed as part of the end credits of "Las Matadoras."
Rewards
We all know about the cost-of-living crisis. Some people have more expendable cash than others. Therefore, no matter what you can give, your name (and/or the name of your business) will be listed as part of the end credits of "Las Matadoras."