Nomad Land is a multimedia project that works with the creative expression of people as a tool for personal growth, a mean to produce materials that raise awareness about the need to act now on climate change, and the loss of traditional wisdom as to how we can better relate with nature.

There are places where the presence of nature is so powerful, so overwhelmingly beautiful and hard, that it becomes difficult not to think about the ancestral connection with it as a whole. Life, after all, is a rare happening too often forgotten.
In that fabulous tapestry of interconnected realities that life is, one could argue that local voices should be able to participate in how local futures are represented, express their opinions and have an influence. But that is not always the case, especially when those voices speak of ways semi whipped out by globalization, and of a worldview that might be only fully understood in a wider context of connection with nature.

But this series of short films on the relationship between mythology and nature is not only about what was wise before, learned and enlighten, falling now unheard in the interest of globalization. This series is about today and tomorrow and is more relevant now than ever. We have to look back, yes! And find what was lost on our way to carry on with a healthy planet, but it is of major importance that we also look at the people today taking active choices to safeguard the planet, and let ourselves be inspired.

This project puts voice and image to old tales, myths and superstitions, of areas where the power of nature is everpresent and inspirational. We believe that, these cultural collective representations talk to the imagination and emotions of the modern individual from a much-needed cross-generational perspective.

The goal for this multimedia project, with the working title “Nomad Land”, is to record local storytellers and villagers, talking about a mythical tale, a local belief, an animal or a geographical/meteorological element with meaning to them and a connection to nature. These audios and interviews will be paired with beautifully crafted images of their natural surroundings.

• A series of 5 short documentary films, of approximately 15 minutes in length, where local myths, tales and narratives explore the shared beliefs and histories of northern communities that relate with nature and the mysterious powers in it. All chapters will be connected by the figure of a narrator (Makka Kleist), who personifies the spirit AAJUMAAQ (The sleeved one), a primordial mythical figure. All the series will be
  recorded in the local languages.
• A series of four to six two-day workshops on audio recording and filmmaking so the possible hired local interpreters for the project become the sound engineers of the films. In this way we grant the inclusion of local
  views into the production, train people in specific skills that could serve their lives or professions, and put them in contact with what it means to make films, hoping to continue working with them in future series.
• Online as well as offline meeting points. The project will produce a travelling exhibition, aiming to create meeting points for dialogue and understanding (at Universities, Museums and Cultural houses). There will also be an online channel to show our creative process, engage with audiences, and bring to the public other contents that relate with our stories in the form of articles, making off clips and interviews that did not make it to
  the final cuts. The desired byproducts of creating a channel for the extra materials are to expand the attention people spend with our content, and diverse the narrative about the circumpolar arctic experience.

As our world continues to shrink through the improved connectivity, global perspectives from local viewpoints are more important than ever. The voices of those who live the “myth”, the depletion of their habitats and their changes, must be put accounted in the global dialogue on what kind of world we want, and what are the solutions we must seek towards the global common goals.

During the year in which the project will take place, a series of workshops (in skills used for filmmaking and audio recording) will be created to facilitate the inclusion of participants in the production process. That is why these lines just aim to present a direction, not a road map, as in all collaborative processes the results change as we move along the idea with the participants.

We think that our project will interest not only the people directly affected by it, either by participating in the workshops or by experiencing the physical manifestations of the results, but that it will also connect with the rapidly growing movement of thousand of people taking action to preserve nature around the world (See shared audiences further in the document).

Along the circumpolar circle, similar mythical stories happen to be present; they are shared and still populate the imagination of many people. Tales from Greenland have their counterparts within the Inuit populations of Alaska, Canada and the Russian peninsula of Chukotka. Around 160.000 people share imagery and symbols from such tales as part of their inherited cultural identity and, while myths have a function, the project would like to understand how similar stories work in within far away lands.

We believe that interpreting these mystical stories with a naturalist documentary look of those who tell them, along with a well-cared online communication of the process, will contribute to the strengthening of voices in the circumpolar area.

Although the magical and the mysterious seem to have been forgotten in modern societies, myths and imagination have been our historical connectors to the wonders of nature, as well as sources of knowledge and social cohesion.

Those closer to the natural world, the animal psyche and the elements, were respected members of society, taken in high esteem and consulted. They were the ones who had a deep understanding of how to abide by nature and thrive.
But who is trying to see like an eagle now, feel like a whale or stand like a tree? Where has that connection gone in the globalized world of today? Where is the awe for what’s known to be the most rare and precious thing in the universe
which is life, in whatever form?

There is no denial to the fact that we are entering an environmental state of emergency. The overall intention of “Nomad Land” is to raise awareness about the need to care for nature from an artistic, inclusive and multifaceted approach. This project promotes education and cultural exchange among people, while helping develop skills and stories that can be used to bring forth local perspectives with global interests.

Once raised only by Spanish noble families, the Galgo has had a remarkable fall from grace, yet their story is relatively unknown around the world. Even in Spain, their plight is often unheard of, or worse, ignored.

“Yo Galgo is a film about an invisible genocide taking place while the authorities look the other way. It’s an exposé of the sharp divide between animal rights and the traditions of a nation.”

Awarded OUTSTANDING INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FILM at the Genesis Awards 2018, just announced by The Humane Society.

Nominated at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards for ‘Best Original Song – Documentary’. We are up against names like Quincy Jones, Diane Warren, Tim McGraw, and Patti Smith.

50K of engaged and supportive followers on Instagram, 22K on Facebook, and 1.3K on Youtube. 

Produced by Skinny Dog Films ApS

Written, directed and edited by Yeray López Portillo

Original music by Arturo Cardelús

The soundtrack for YO GALGO is a classical score with a preeminent role within the film, recorded with orchestra in L.A and mixed in 5.1.

We exists to promote creative exchange among people in the world who care for nature. Our platform believes in cultural activism, education and entrepreneurship as fundamental pillars for the development of sustainable societies end environments. We promote freedom of expression, creativity and the importance of local perspectives for the development of cultural projects of global interest.

We encourage the protection of living beings and their habitats, network to achieve growth, and collectively fundraise for stories that matter.

Yo Galgo came to existence thanks to the collaborative effort of more than a thousand people.

Now Yo Galgo premiered in cinemas in Spain and was the 75th most watched film in only two months. Now we will try to hit TVs mid 2020.