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THE RELUCTANT TRAVELER A Documentary of a Journey in Ethiopia When Marco’s partner organized a scholarly, month-long trek across northern Ethiopia for himself and a few friends, Marco wished him “good luck and God-speed.” Then, when illness prevented his partner’s participation, Marco had to step in and take over. Now, instead of his usual tour of ski resorts and film festivals, this indy writer-director is taking a journey out of his comfort zone into the unfamiliar richness of a poor country. What wasn't supposed to be his trip, became his unforgettable adventure. YOUR GUIDE Marco was a mid-career TV producer and fledgling film director, when he met and fell in love with mysterious Mr. B, an insurance magnate on the UK Rich List. Relocating to London and Monte-Carlo, Marco joined the ranks of the international Jet Set, but determined to use his newfound resources to pursue creative goals rather than sink into a life of pampered idleness. Or, if he was going to sink, he’d sink with laptop open, fingers typing, emails flying and projects developing. In short order, he wrote a script and headed to LA to find a producer. As the development cycle churned, Marco proved his creative chops by writing, directing and co-producing another short, shot on film, that was accepted into competition at Sundance. While that film ricocheted around the festival circuit, Marco organized a film festival in Monaco, devoted to discovering and supporting emerging talent worldwide. On the festival circuit or between homes in Los Angeles, Miami, London, Monaco and Myconos, Marco lives the high life. Yet, here we find him-- in the middle of ski season and Sundance fortnight—schlepping across one of the poorest nations on earth, a country without a film festival, 5 star hotels or designer boutiques. In The Reluctant Traveler, Marco is your host, companion and proxy for a trip through vertiginous mountain gorges, fertile, temperate highlands and scorching desert lowlands. In the finest verite tradition, Marco narrates his experience in candid, no-nonsense, hand-held style. Diving into a daunting itinerary, Marco embarks on 25 days of car-camping, all-terrain driving, extreme site-seeing, and full-cultural immersion, leading an assortment of European eccentrics and a film crew in a land without cell-phone reception or wi-fi connection. So, sit back, relax and let Marco blaze the trail.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Mark E Brockbank SUPERVISING PRODUCER Effie T Brown PRODUCER Megan McGuinness CO-PRODUCERS Nicole Columbie Marco Orsini DIRECTOR Marco Orsini ASSOCIATE PRODUCER/POST PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR Samantha Stevenson-Berkowitz DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Joe Pier WRITER Marco Orsini STILL PHOTOGRAPHERS Joe Pier Amanda Kinsman Olivier de Beaumont HOST & VOICE OVER Marco Orsini METG - MARK'S ETHIOPIAN TRAVEL GUIDE Luigi Cantamessa MEF'S - MARK'S EUROPEAN FRIENDS Amanda Kinsman Olivier de Beaumont Molly Balkaani Mary France ETHIOPIANS ON CAMERA Achinef- Lalibela. Breakfast Harar Guide Singing child Really Mad Afar Man GRAPHICS Thomas Horne MUSIC COMPOSER/MIXER Johnny Wilson SOUND ENGINEER Victor Gardea 2ND CAMERA Megan McGuiness TRAVEL COORDINATOR Christopher Campbell LOGISTICS (ETHIOPIA) Yohannes Assefa, Red Jackal Tour Operator Eliane Rollier,GÈo-DÈcouverte EDITORS Michael Palmerio Jacob Ki Marco Orsini CREATIVE CONSULTANT Ben Berkowitz,The Other Works ASSISTANT EDITORS Ben something T something RESEARCH & EXTRA WRITING Fred Greene SPECIAL THANKS Gail Warden/Ethiopian Embassy, United Kingdom Jenna the assistant to the boss Ethiopian Ministry of Information, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Ethiopian Ministry of Tourism, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Ethiopian Consulate, United Kingdom and the Untied States SPECIAL THANKS INDIVIDUALS Afar Security Guards: Bulewa Ashoba Omar Gas Osmen Umed RED JACKAL TOUR OPERATOR P.L.C. - LEADERS/DRIVERS Yohannes Assefa,General Manager Fekadeselose Yossef (lead) Zinabu Berhe Bayou “Malata” Ferede Tewedros “Teddy” G/Meskel Asrat Solomon RED JACKAL (CAMPING) CREW Damtew Emiru (chef) Yohannes Melaku (campsite set up) Abdulwuhab Alyesa (asst chef) Tegene Temasgen A DULY NOTED INC AND MOJO ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................................................................................
Marco Orsini is an award-winning writer, director and producer as well as a co-founder of the International Emerging Film Talent Association (IEFTA) of Monaco. Marco began his career in 1995, producing, writing and directing live and pre-recorded programming for English and Spanish language network and cable television. Moving to film in 2001, Marco’s first short, “Mari-Conita De Jesus,” toured the festivals before being included in Princeton’s Latin American Studies curriculum. In 2002, the National Association of Latino Independent Producers recognized Marco as an “Up and Coming” filmmaker. Inspired by his own life, Marco’s script, “American Way,” earned a place in Tribeca’s inaugural All Access Program. Soon after, his 35mm short film, “Un Dia en la Vida,” premiered at Sundance, prior to being named Best Dramatic Short at the International Festival of Cinema and Technology in 2006. Relocating to Monaco in 2001, Marco joined with local cineastes to create an organization supporting first-time filmmakers from the developing world. The IEFTA produced its first festival in May of 2007, screening 25 films from 21 countries. In 2007, Marco traveled through Ethiopia documenting its extraordinary cultural history. His wry account of that expedition, “The Reluctant Traveler,” (Winner of the Audience Award at the Jacksonville International Film Festival) continues to fill theatres around the world. Marco currently leads the IEFTA’s Global Film Expression initiative in Ethiopia, focusing on filmmaker training and industry development. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Marco was raised on American military bases in the Far East. He works between homes in Monte-Carlo, Mykonos, London, Miami and Los Angeles. Marco is a member of the Producers Guild.
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Marco Orsini - Duly Noted Inc. 5225 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 418 - Los Angeles, CA 90036 o : 323.525.1885 m : 213.952.6606 f : 323.954.1781 e : info@dulynotedinc.com - e : marco@orsini.com
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