Not Your Bee

Dear Backers,

The time has come to share NOT YOUR BEE (the full movie). Via ’Vimeo On Demand’, everyone with a computer and internet can now watch the full movie. So please share this message with your friends! Price for a 48-hour rent is €5.

Here’s the link to share: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/notyourbee

Now, since your help was so crucial in the co-creation of this movie, we will gladly send you a voucher for a free viewing (if your name is on the list of backers, of course). The only thing you have to do is send an email to dimidumo@telenet, and we’ll provide you a 48-hour link.

Another good news is that we will now start printing DVD’s, because many of you are still waiting for this ultimate reward. Just a little more patience, pleazzzzzzz. We’re working on it!

BzzzZZZ, We love you

Dimi and the NYB team

Three and a half years have passed since this crazy idea popped into my brain: to make a huge documentary about people who look differently at honeybees. I contacted hundreds of people, beekeepers, artists, film producers, funders, politicians, … I gathered a team of people around me who believed in the project and together we started a huge and successful crowdfunding.

Then we launched the production. We traveled many thousands of kilometers in order to meet, film and interview a dozen of true bee lovers. We went through a global pandemic that put the whole project at risk. To be honest… there were times I believed that I had failed. But every spring, the bees in my garden would show up again and said to me: «Do we give up? No we don’t. So shouldn’t you!»

Well… I listened to my little flying friends, and here I am: proud to announce you that we are one step further along the line. Not Your Bee is now a 85-minute movie that most of you will soon be able to enjoy, because I will send you a link to watch the full movie (I will soon e-mail you). An avant-premiere will take place this Saturday in Valey (Bayern), and soon another in Bassevelde and a third one in Basel. Those of you who backed me in order to get a DVD will soon get that too. And we’ll also start giving our promised ’private screenings’.

So be on the lookout! Check your mailbox (and spam-folder) regularly, because you will very soon get mail from us.

BzzzZZZ, We love you

Dimi and the NYB team

In October 2019 I solemnly pledged to deliver my bee movie by February 2021. This seemed a reasonable deadline at the time. This vow, along with some promising video images that I sent into the world, made you all believe in the project. You backed the creation of my movie, and since then, you have heard very little of it. Yes, some have received a T-shirt or a sticker, but all of you only want to see one thing: the movie itself!

Of course I need not remind you that traveling all over Europe (with or without a camera) has been nearly impossible for over nearly 16 months now. Yes, I went to Bern in the spring of 2020 to film André and his crew of Free The Bees. Yes, I went to Schwaben around the same time to observe bee researchers Benjamin Rutschmann and Patrick Kohl checking on wild honey bees in beech trees for the closing part of their research. But I was unable to go back to Hamburg to check on AnneMarie Maes bee sculpture on the Elbe. I could not go back to Switzerland for a closer look at Free The Bees activities in the field. And I was unable to visit Cosco’s activities with moro’s (Spanish black bees) in Andalucia, Spain.

Indeed, like many artists working on big projects in these strange covid-19 times, I found myself stuck. I wondered what to make of this movie. A second crowdfunding in September of 2020 (not for me, but for the biggest sponsor of my film: Giraffe Heroes) failed to raise enough money. Luckily, I have my job as a social worker AND I have my music to keep faith.

But faith in my project is far from gone. I have already edited some 35 minutes, and am planning the remaining video recordings. And guess what: this autumn, I also should be able to get to Cosco!

Keep faith as well, you lovely bee friends, for the documentary Not Your Bee may not be ’on time’, but it is still ’on track’.

We’re pretty sure Mr Bob Geldof wouldn’t mind that we are using his ’Great song of indifference’ to help YOU make the difference :-) Stay on this very website, go to the magnifying glass in the top right corner, and type the words ’Climate-Adaptation’. The very first project you see is the very one. 6 personalities join hands for a common cause: ecology and climate adaptation. Bees & Trees are the key issues in their effort for positive change and #Climatadaptation for which YOUR help is needed!

Dear bee lovers,

Here’s me, Dimi, again. You probably wonder why you’re getting all these new emails from me, asking you to back this project: https://wemakeit.com/projects/climate-adaptation?locale=en

Wondering also if Not Your Bee is now a finished movie? Well no, it’s not. My deadline is spring 2021. But I’ve shot some 80% of all the footage, and have edited 25% yet. And now I’m facing this problem, that by January 2021 I have to start promoting my film. I have to write to film festivals all over the world and convince them to watch and program it. All film festival ask money in this ’entry process’. Sometimes €20 euro, more often €75 or €100. That’s why I said yes when Giraffe Heroes asked me to join this new crowdfunding. And that’s why you’re getting all these e-mails from me.

So please back us! The other people in this fundraising are not unknown people to me. They are even known to you, since 3 of them are protagonists in my movie!

Go to https://wemakeit.com/projects/climate-adaptation?locale=en and choose one of the rewards, or donate any amount, even €1 will help us out!

Thx,

We love you

Dimi an the GECA team

#StickYourNeckOut

#GECA

Hi Bee friends,

I wanted to share this delightful interview with you: guerrilla tree planter Hendrik Haers talks about his fight against the green desert. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDBEq64qnqY.

The green desert is caused by the agro industry. It looks like nature, but it has no single value for the ecosystem nor for biodiversity. No bee will find food here! Fortunately there is Hendrik Haers who sets an example with the bee workgroup in Bassevelde (Belgium) on how to fight green deserts with ’guerrilla tree planting’ actions.

Hendrik is one of the protagonists in my film Not Your Bee. And just like myself, Hendrik is, as a brand new Giraffe Hero, one of the 6 protagonists for the new crowdfunding campaign of Giraffe Heroes Europe. This focuses on climate adaptation and the role of bees and trees. There is still 39 days to collect a lot of money, of which, if successful, some 15% will go to Bassevelde. If you support this project, you help him and fellow Giraffe Heroes stick their necks out even further.

You’ll find the crowdfunding campaign here https://wemakeit.com/projects/climate-adaptation?locale=en

Thanks for reading this. If you liked it, please share the link. Dimi

Hi everyone, this is Dimi speaking. Last year around this period I started a crowdfunding campaign on wemakeit.com. The intention was to finance my documentary Not Your Bee, and I succeeded. All of you helped to make it a success, allowing me to keep working on my film, even in these difficult corona times. Our biggest ally and sponsor in this crowdfunding was the Swiss organisation Giraffe Heroes. Without their support, I probably would never have even started my campaign! Now Giraffe Heroes has gathered 6 people they want to support. Or rather, who they want YOU to support. Six personalities joining forces for a common goal: ecology and climate adaptation. Bees and trees are key in their drive for a positive change. This #Climatadaptation needs YOUR help! I am one of these 6 persons. By supporting their new crowdfunding, you will enable me to start promoting my film this year, even if it is not completely finished. View the impressive list of rewards this project offers to its sponsors! https://wemakeit.com/projects/climate-adaptation?locale=en

We bet you’re curious about the production process of our film in these difficult corona times. Well… the truth is: covid-19 has slowed us down, but not halted us. Three weeks ago we filmed this beautiful action, that even reached the Flemish TV. The installation of a Weissenseifener Hängekorbe in a public tree in Bassevelde.

We love you!

the NYB team

Patrick and Benjamin are no tree huggers. They are monitoring the buzzing in and around beech trees, for many feral honey bees have survived this winter. Here’s some nice footage from their spring check up on the bee trees in Schwaben. We hope to get back to filming very soon, after they loosened the travel ban.

We’re still in love with all of you who backed this project!!

The NYB-team.

Back home after three days of filming at BernExpo, Switzerland. Really impressed by the effort FREETHEBEES puts in changing consciousness about bees and bee’s habitat. Check out https://freethebees.ch/en/

Many people ask us: «Have you started filming already?» Of course we have! In 2019 only, we shot more than 60 hours of video, in Germany, Switzerland and Belgium.

Today we share with you some pictures of our first production day in 2020: A day in the fields with the «Bijenwerkgroep Bassevelde».

Beekeeping is treekeeping. Hendrik, Toon and Filip know this very well, that’s why they are continuously trying to improve the biodiversity of their village Bassevelde. Bees forage in a circle of 3 to 5 km’s from the hive. Planting trees in your garden only is just not enough!

We know what’s really on your mind, like on a daily basis, and that is of course: have these guys finally started with the shooting of their film? Well, the answer is YES. More about this in a few days. But right now, what we’d like to share with you is our bee-shirts, or T-shirts if you want. Anna Robertson designed them, Bizniz-point in Leuven sustainably produced them, and now we’re about to wholeheartedly deliver them to all of you backers who signed in (and paid) for one. Check your mailboxes, bee-friends!!!

We love you!

the NYB team

Dear NYB-friends,

It took us some time, but the first ’reward’ is finally ready. You’ll find this beautiful waterproof sticker in your letterbox very soon.

Those who have ordered a T-shirt will get the sticker a little later on, in the same package with the T-shirt. Expected delivery January-February 2020. (Sorry for the delay).

Meanwhile, as we’re working on the movie, we’re also working on the other rewards. You’ll hear from us soon. In case you’re growing a little impatient, please contact us on dimidumo@telenet.be

We wish you a very warm X-mas and a New Year full of energy!

Dimi and the NYB-team

(Deutsch: siehe Text unten / Nederlands: zie tekst onderaan)

Wow! What a ride was that!! With your help, we gathered 39.872 euro. We will now be able to carry out our project. We won’t deceive you, for as of now you’re all part of NOT YOUR BEE!

The rewards will be sent to you at different intervals. Of course, we can not send you a link or a DVD of a film that does not yet exist! But we will very soon be able to issue other rewards, like the sticker, the T-shirts, the guided tour at the Beepod in Ghent & the Bee-tree adoptions.

We will of course let all of you backers know about the development of our movie at regular intervals.

If you have ANY question whatsoever, please contact me (the director) on dimidumo@telenet.be

We thank you a thousand times for your help!

Dimi and the NYB team.

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Na, wenn das kein Erfolg ist!! Durch euer aller Mithilfe haben wir 39.872 Euro gesammelt. Jetzt kann Not Your Bee nun ausschwaermen und wir gratulieren euch allen, mit denen und fuer die wir jetzt an eine spannende Umsetzung gehen! Wir werden euch in den kommenden 24 Monaten regelmaessig auf dem Laufenden halten und freuen uns ueber jede Art von Rueckmeldungen.

Belohnungen werden teils frueh teils erst am Ende bei euch eingehen – die hardware (Stickers, T-shirts etc.) bald, der eigentliche Film natuerlich erst wenn Not Your Bee gefeiert werden kann.

Mit einem tausendfachen Dank euch Freunde!

Dimi und das NYB Team

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Wauw! Wat een rit was dat!! Met jullie hulp verzamelden we 39.872 euro. Nu kunnen we nu ons project uitvoeren. We zullen jullie niet ontgoochelen, want vanaf nu maken jullie allen deel uit van NOT YOUR BEE!

Niet ieder van jullie ontvangt meteen de gekozen beloning. Zo kunnen we bijvoorbeeld nog geen link of dvd sturen van een film die nog niet bestaat. Andere beloningen gaan wel snel de deur uit, zoals de sticker, de T-shirts, de rondleiding bij de Beepod in Gent en de bijenboomadopties.

Natuurlijk zullen we jullie op regelmatige tijdstippen op de hoogte houden van de verdere ontwikkelingen van onze film.

Indien je nog vragen hebt, neem dan contact op met mij (de regisseur) op dimidumo@telenet.be

Nogmaals duizend maal dank voor al jullie hulp!

Dimi en het NYB-team.

Dear NYB friends,

We’re almost at the end of our race. A race we’ve won already. But the finish has somewhat been altered. As we explained in our last mail, we’d like to run for € 40.000. And that won’t be easy, with less than 24 hours to go.

That’s why we added a NEW, LAST MINUTE REWARD!

We’re selling T-shirts (sustainably produced by us) at € 90 in stead of € 156. Only this time the T-shirt comes without extra rewards (so ONLY the T-shirt, without DVD and without the link to the film. And this time, you can SEE the T-shirt you’re buying. Isn’t it great? Original design by Anna Robertson.

Did we already tell you that we love you? Well, we do!

the NYB team

Wow! Seems like Not Your Bee made it. We just reached our goal of € 35.000!!!

Thanks to YOU, all you great and lovely people who have been so generous and so caring and so enthusiastic in sharing.

But the great thing is: we still have some 100 hours left!

How far can we stretch this? No no, not for fun’s sake, but because we will need every extra euro. I hardly dare to say this, but when we made the first financial draft for this film, we were shocked to find out we needed to find… € 70.000. That is DOUBLE the amount we decided to go for, but it was the sum of all the technical, administrative, artistic and logistic labour, rentals, fees and acquisitions that is needed to make such a movie.

Why we chose to cut this amount in two? Well… because it just seemed unrealistic to gather that big an amount. Little did we know…

So what we did was this… we cut away all the personal stuff, all acquisition costs of camera’s, SD-cards, hard disks, studio lights, computers, three-pods, all the ’crash eventualities’ and unforeseen expenses, all our personal fees, the hours of labour that you just HOPE to see rewarded in the end, when your movie will have become a hit in Cannes, Berlin and Venice! Hoping that this money would be found somewhere further along the way.

But now nothing seems impossible anymore. So please… DON’T STOP BACKING US!

Let’s go for at least € 40.000! Maybe 45.000?! Maybe even 50.000???… Let’s take away the stress of finding more money ’along the way’, and secure that the energy can go into artistically creating Not Your Bee.

We love you!

the NYB team

Now this is exciting! While NOT YOUR BEE is entering it’s very last week of funding, we have a special news letter for those of you who might be collectioneurs of contemporary art. How so? Well, because Belgian artist Cosco (Louis De Cordier) is offering a genuine work of art to our project. That’s why we can add a Golden Sun Disk (12K) to the list of rewards. Cosco manufactered a limited edition of 26 such disks, and they are normally sold for 15K, but for NOT YOUR BEE there is a 3K reduction!

The Golden Sun Disk, an archaeological artefact of the Future, is an expression of artistic and technological creation and a symbol of human-scaled introspection.

By buying this Golden Sun Disk you will not only support directly our movie project, but you can also add a outstanding piece of art to your collection, a ’time piece’ made by an artist whose work is both embedded in the past as in the future.

By the way… (in case you own a company) you can even get sponsorship invoice, which you can deduct from your taxes.

dimensions: 30cm (11.8 in)
diameter 8mm (0.3 in) thick technic: gilded CNC milled brass plate materials: gold (100% gold), brass (95% copper & 5% zinc) weight: 5kg (11 lbs)

The Golden Sun Disk is a time piece by Louis De Cordier. Designed to be a generator of spiritual, intellectual and artistic reflections. An opener of ways to dream about our human condition and the destiny of our species. The record incorporates sacred geometry, earth sciences and astronomy. Its message reflects the state of Man, broken free, wandering endlessly around in an ever-changing space. The sculpture is a place for rest, a sacred instrument for moving through this dynamic and chaotic time/space. Enabling us to realise that we are each a « passerby» on this planet Earth, with the goal to create a better world for our children.

The oldest continuous civilisation so far has been the Chinese, which is about 5000 years old. Most other civilisations lasted no longer than 3000 years, and there is no particular reason to believe ours will last longer. In the eventuality of the fall of civilisation by climate, war or cataclysmic events, the design of the time piece conceals the power and hope to transmit its content to very distant generations, 10,000 or even 1,000,000 years into the future.

The disk’s electrolysed golden layer (100% gold) can withstand eternity as a non-corrosive protection to air, water and chemicals. In the realm of the disk being used as a portable instrument handed over from generation to generation. It will loose gradually its golden film and free the massive brass core. Exposed to the elements, the naked brass ( 95% copper and 5% zinc ) disk will continue to resist most corrosion for over 15,000 years. Because copper becomes an anode in electrolytic reactions, receiving deposits instead of wasting away like most iron-bearing metals.

Considering the wide time spans of the future, the disk has several time markers in case the creation date of the disk should be lost. The time can be recognised by calculation from the incorporated astronomical data, like the inclination of the earth axis in relation to the solar ecliptica. The people of the future will therefore be able to determine the number of years that have elapsed since the disk was created, by computing backward from their time.

The digital mould of the Golden Sun Disk is designed by using a highly sophisticated computer programme and produced on an edition of 26 copies by a CNC (computer numerical controlled) milling machine. A collection to circulate world-wide to increase the possibility of long-term survival.

The Golden Sun Disk sale profits are normally used to fund the Mataha-project by Louis De Cordier. A research project featuring the geo-archaeologic exploration of the Egyptian Labyrinth at Hawara. A colossal temple described by many classic authors like Herodotus and Strabo, to contain the history of Mankind. A legendary building lost under the ancient sands of Egypt.

The Golden Sun Disk generating the Mataha-project aims to be the catalyst, to ignite the global fire of comprehensive awareness and awakening.

Dear Bee Friends,

Bees in my nights, bees in my days! We reached 75% of our goal, but we can’t stop now. Please send this video (https://youtu.be/4h2bCGCkV2I) to 10 people you know, and tell them to SUPPORT US on https://wemakeit.com/projects/not-your-bee?locale=en

Special thx to Anna Robertson for co-directing this little promo video. Make sure it goes viral! Share, share, share!!!

We love you, the NYB team

Dear NYB friends,

Remember our last post, asking you the help us cross the halfway line? Well… only minutes later somebody (we can’t reveal names) chose the €5.000 reward. Leaving us all speechless! Apparently everyone cares for bees, but this one person CARES A LOT!

Since we are now also nearing the halfway line in terms of time, we thought it was time for SOMETHING BIG! So we edited a brand new PRE-THEATRICAL TRAILER, giving you a preview of what this film will look like. For indeed, we’re already shooting, confident as we are that we will reach our goal, with your help of course.

Apart from that, we’ve also ADDED A NEW REWARD. The guided Beepod tour now comes cheaper (€ 130), but without all the smaller rewards. Smart, ain’t it?

Please keep on spreading the NYB message, for bees are vital for survival! Go and have a look on our facebook page. Sometimes it’s just easier to share from there. Have a look on https://www.facebook.com/NOT-YOUR-BEE-108212613874933 and PLEASE SHARE, SHARE, SHARE!

For we know YOU CARE, CARE, CARE!!

We love you!

The NYB team

dear NYB supporters,

We’re now inches away from halfway. Not in terms of time, for time is on our side. No, we’re halfway in terms of reaching our goal. I never dreamed it would happen so early in the campaign, but now that we’re here (one side of half), we cannot sleep until we’re there (on the other side of half). I’m sure this applies to you too! For you have backed this project, and wish to see it succeed. So get your sleep back! But don’t go to sleep, not right now! Tell the world about this great movie that we’re about to make! Tell your friends THEY CAN BE THE ONE to help us cross the halfway line!

Thx for backing us!

The NYB-team

Dear bee friend,

Maybe you didn’t notice (we only noticed ourselves because wemakeit warned us), but our NYB campaign made it to the homepage of wemakeit.com! Not as a random attention, but because we are doing A GREAT JOB, and great jobs deserve great visibility! Of course, we all know the only reason for this extra exposure is because YOU did a great job supporting us!!

But please KEEP DOING WHAT YOU DID! Keep telling the world there’s a brand new movie with an important message in the making, and that this movie will never be made unless they help supporting it TOO!

Let others BEE PART of NYB, spread the NYB message and see how big we can make this NYB family!

Can this really be true? A sum of € 14.140, the result of contributions by 77 backers? Truly amazing! That is an average of 183,63 per person!

No way we can ever thank you enough for your support!!!

We are not halfway yet, but the cape of 50% of our goal is now in sight! You who have already contributed can help us by spreading our latest video call: an encouragement to adopt a bee tree.

For all of you facebookies, here’s the link to our last post: https://www.facebook.com/108212613874933/videos/398923747703069/ Please like it, share it or leave a comment…

Not on fb? No problem. Please copy-paste the txt below and share via whatsapp, via email, …

MANY MANY MANY THX!!! The NYB team.

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Dear all,

Here’s a call for support for a committed film project that I support. These people are collecting money to make a documentary about new and creative collaborations between men and honey bees. I backed this project because I believe this film can strongly contribute to a better nature preservation.

There’s plenty of nice rewards in return, like dvd’s, T-shirts, tickets to the premiere, live screenings etc. As you can see in this little video, you can even adopt a huge tree with wild honey bees in it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOQQiUROqXY

Here is the link to his crowdfunding page. Please, share this link without restriction. And take a look at the great rewards he offers in exchange for your support.

Just take a look at it all on https://wemakeit.com/projects/not-your-bee

greetings

Hi bee friends, It’s only two days ago since we launched our crowdfunding campaign and look!… we’ve already gathered ALMOST A QUARTER of our goal!!! We believe that is worth a modest hurrah, and since it is ALL THANKS TO YOU, we propose you cheer together with us!!! Pour yourself a glass of whatever, while you take a look at the little film we made during the kickoff in Leuven on Monday.

But hey, feet on the ground, says this little voice in our head. That quarter is not yet achieved, and anyway… we still have got three quarters to go. There’s work to be done! So let’s keep it short and get back to it.

Meanwhile… you too can do something, if you have a little spare time. Here’s a text you can copy paste and Email to all your friends.

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Dear all,

We would like to bring the following call to your attention. It is a call for support for a committed film project from a friend of ours, Dimi Dumortier. He sets himself the challenge of making a film about new and creative collaborations between men and honey bees. I backed this project because I believe this film can be a game changer in the debate on nature preservation.

Here is the link to his crowdfunding page. Please, share this link without restriction. And take a look at the great rewards he offers in exchange for your support. https://wemakeit.com/projects/not-your-bee

greetings

Yes, it is truly unbelievable! You and 18 other people have gathered more than 5.000 euro in less than 5 days ! That is one seventh (!) of the total amount that we are looking for to make the feature documentary Not Your Bee. And the campaign had not even started yet!!

While there are no words to express our gratitude for your gesture, we -the Not Your Bee team- must now find words to make other people believe in our project, to move them to make the same gesture as you did, to choose a reward and sponsor the making of our film.

From today on, the campaign is fully visible. We will need all hands on deck, for if we can not gather the full amount, we don’t get a penny! So please, SHARE the link without restriction and spread the NYB-talk. Forget the common ’not your business’ acronym. From now on, NYB stands for NOT YOUR BEE, and please let it be EVERYBODY’S BUSINESS, for bees are vital to our survival, and that of many plants and animals!

Once more: please share this link: https://wemakeit.com/projects/not-your-bee

Thank you for believing in us :-)

The Not Your Bee team