New Video Shows How Fund Brings Better Futures

By Emily Allred
NICA Fund Manager

WCCN’s 22nd Annual Meeting was held in the late afternoon of Thursday April 20th. Guests steadily trickled into a sunny meeting room at the United Way building in Madison. Delighted voices rang out greetings, and new young faces became acquainted with seasoned members.

Much of the enthusiasm was from anticipation over the agenda for the evening, with the theme, “Picturing the Impact of Socially Responsible Investing: How Microcredit Creates Opportunities for Disadvantaged Nicaraguans”. The evening was very enriching as attendees caught a sneak preview of WCCN’s new video about the NICA Fund. They then learned more from expert guests in the fields of investing and economics.

The NICA Fund video is a 24-minute informational piece consisting of interactions with borrowers and credit providers in Nicaragua. It documents how entrepreneurs, women, and farmers are creating better futures through access to financial services. WCCN intends to use the video as an outreach tool directed toward those who have little or no familiarity with the NICA Fund, microcredit or Nicaragua.

Attendees at the annual meeting became active participants in the film’s final editing by providing feedback to WCCN staff on all aspects, even the title which is tentatively “Better Futures”. WCCN staff are using feedback from the sneak preview to complete the final editing and plan to release the video this summer.

Members’ suggestions for final edits have been quite insightful and their comments overwhelmingly positive. One member noted, “…it provides an excellent introduction for people who haven’t been acquainted with the Fund.”

When characterizing the video, another member explained, “Even for someone like me who’s been [in Nicaragua] a couple times and worked with [WCCN] for a long time, it enriches my sense of the scope, importance and humanity of the Fund’s activities.”

The preliminary success of “Better Futures” is owed in large part to its creator, local filmmaker Brian Standing of Prolefeed Studios. Brian Standing’s credits include the award-winning feature War is Sell, the widely-seen documentary short Pedalphiles, about a renegade gang of bicycling anarchists, and the ongoing documentary series Scoop Perlman’s Guide to Art. After bouncing around from his hometown in Albany, NY to Minneapolis, Boston, outback Australia, Austin, TX and Tomahawk, WI, Brian has finally settled down in Madison, Wisconsin, where he enjoys making Godzilla movies with his son, Shea and his wife, Lisa. Madison radio listeners know him for his work at WORT 89.9 FM, including; In our Backyard, the Eight O’Clock Buzz and local election coverage. He is also the curator and founder of Electric Eye Cinema, Madison’s do-it-yourself venue devoted exclusively to independent documentary film.

Brian traveled to Nicaragua with WCCN and managed to gather 40 hours of footage while actively participating in the January study tour. He worked tirelessly each day filming meetings, interviews and scenery that would document the circumstances in which WCCN is working, and demonstrate the importance of microfinance and the NICA Fund.

Brian is a humble, personable travel companion who lets his work speak to the high standard of quality he maintains. He graciously facilitated the screening of “Better Futures” at the annual meeting, where he fielded questions and became better acquainted with WCCN members. For those who have not yet had the opportunity to interact with Brian, we present the following from a recent interview:

What interested you in working on this project for WCCN?

I was somewhat familiar with WCCN through my volunteer work with WORT radio, and through some friends who had worked with the Madison Sister Cities projects. I knew they had a good reputation as an effective nonprofit organization. While I was in graduate school at the University of Minnesota Humphrey Institute of Public Policy, I had a brief introduction to the concept of microcredit, and I was interested in learning more. Finally, I’ve always been interested in Latin America, and the prospect of travel to Nicaragua appealed to me. When I received the invitation to submit a proposal for a documentary project for WCCN, I jumped at the chance.

How would you describe your film?

“Better Futures” gives viewers a chance to meet individual Nicaraguans who’ve benefited from WCCN’s Nica Fund program. We hear from small merchants, farmers, restaurateurs, florists, manufacturers, tortilla makers and others telling us, in their own words, how loans as small as $500 helped them become financially independent. We also hear from WCCN’s Nicaraguan professional partners about their dedication to working with the underserved, and from U.S. investors about the exceptional non-monetary return they receive on their investment. This is an uplifting, positive film, and I hope it convinces many to invest in WCCN’s creative and worthy program.

What is/was the most challenging part of this project?

We dealt with a number of challenges on this project. The Nicaragua video shoot took place during a WCCN study tour for Nica Fund investors. We had to balance the needs of the video production against our desire to avoid interfering with the investors’ enjoyment of the tour. This required scheduling interviews during off hours, and sometimes we had to split off from the rest of the group to get the shots we needed. I’m very grateful to all the trip attendees for their openness, patience and willingness to accommodate the inconveniences of the video production.
Prior to this project, I had never done such extensive interviews in a foreign language before. I found my two semesters of college Spanish wholly inadequate. Fortunately, WCCN provided excellent translators, Anne McSweeney while we were in Nicaragua, and Alisha Steele here in Madison.

Personally speaking, what would you consider the greatest value gained from your work on this project?

It’s hard to choose just one! On a selfish level, I’m thrilled to have had the opportunity to visit the magnificent “land of poets and lakes,” especially some of the more remote areas, such as Juigalpa and Nueva Guinea. There’s a gorgeous quality of light in Nicaragua, and many of the buildings are designed to take full advantage of it. I was forever gasping with delight at what I saw through my viewfinder.
During our shoot, I was constantly impressed by Nicaraguans’ hospitality and openness. Many times we showed up unannounced at a borrower’s home, with a camera crew and a dozen study tour participants, and people would welcome us in with a smile.

And, too, it was my privilege and pleasure to meet and work with the WCCN staff and investors on the study tour.