Time for an update. Water Direct - Documentary

It’s been a year since I came back from Ghana, where I was filming a documentary/reportage with @mcsamm and the community there. This was the highlight of my last year, and I’m super glad that I managed to make it happen in such a short time.

I never really told the full story about my trip or how things were planned. In fact, as I think about it now, the question comes up: “Would I do it differently?”
I don’t think so. This opportunity came up very quickly, and even though there were a lot of doubts, I jumped into it. The thought of “If I’m not going to do it, then who will?” really pushed me. That mindset made me feel like I had to go through with it, despite some hesitations.

What’s crazy is that I had never met Sam before — we only knew each other through the blockchain. That alone is proof of how blockchain can help solve issues of trust and transparency.
I didn’t know @mcsamm personally. The only introduction I had to him and the project came from @starkerz, who definitely deserves credit for connecting the dots and the people involved.

Besides that connection, the other source of trust came from blockchain transactions. The fact that I could see the full history and reputation of a user on-chain really helped build confidence.
That’s why I believe this is how people should interact — and honestly, that could be a whole other documentary in itself.

So, on February 2nd, we had this conversation…

In a month’s time, after my two visits to London and getting my visa sorted, I was in Ghana meeting @mcsamm’s family.

Obviously, there were many parts involved in the whole process — planning, filming, visas, production, post-production, color grading, music, and so on — just to finish the film.
The amount it cost was, realistically, next to nothing in the film world. Making it happen within those expenses makes it an absolute bargain.
I wish there had been a normal budget. I wish I could’ve had an assistant, more time to plan, a proper team with me — but at the end of the day, it is what it is.
And when I do something — when I put in my time, heart, and money — I want to make it the best it can possibly be. Even though I see some mistakes, I feel like I have to move on.

Then came the distribution part.

Of course, there was an amazing opportunity to screen the film in front of Hivians at @HiveFest in Split, inside the remarkable Diocletian’s Palace last year — but I still haven’t had the chance to show it to a wider audience.

So, at the end of last year, I decided to submit the film to various film festivals around the world — Prague, Italy, Nigeria, Ireland, Pakistan… you name it.
I chose 20 festivals that could potentially accept it, based on themes like social change, ecology, or short documentaries.

While submissions are still open, I’ve already heard back from 7 of them — and the film wasn’t accepted.
One of the main reasons? It’s not a “festival film.”
Even though I explained the idea behind Hive — that it’s a community-owned platform — the Hive name and logo still appeared too many times.
And trust me, I already cut out at least 70% of the Hive references. Still, I don’t want to dwell on whether I could’ve removed more Hive narrative or edited it differently.
It is what it is. It’s done.
And if it never ends up in any film festival, then so be it.

Just because of that, and the anticipation around it, I still believe this film can be shown not only at different blockchain events, but beyond that as well.
It could lead to many articles, serve as an educational tool, and even help with fundraising and charity efforts.

Soon, I’ll have the first proper screening where more people will finally get to see it. It’s happening during a full-day event — SlotDay — at the SLOTART Festival, where it will be part of the "Technological Workshop" section.

The film will be shown right after a talk titled: “Careful! You’re scrolling in someone else’s business.” which could have good correlation with

The title of my segment :
“How the Hive Blockchain Ecosystem and DAO Can Support Humanitarian Aid.”

Some attendees and organizations there are already interested in the topic, but I truly believe it could spark a much wider conversation — about blockchain, and how it can actually change things.

So this is the current plan. With 13 festival submissions still pending and one screening scheduled, I’ve decided:
I don’t want to wait anymore.

I’m planning to drop the film publicly in May, or maybe June — possibly to align with the 10th anniversary of @krolestwo, which would be a great moment to combine with this release.

It’ll be available on 3Speak, YouTube, and Vimeo.
And that’s it — let it be out there.
Let people watch it, share it.
Instead of explaining what Hive is — let them see it.
And hopefully, with the help of our community, we can spread it.

There’s no bigger master plan than that — just letting people use my work as a tool.

There’s a much deeper layer to all of this — to my trip, to what I saw, to the people I connected with through Hive.
Where it all leads… I don’t fully know.
The doubts about the future are still there.

But again, the question returns:

“If not me/us, then who?”