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UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES
21st
Century
Programme : EPISODE # 98 SHOW OPEN, GRAPHIC AND MUSIC (17”)
Coming up on 21st Century (3”) TEASE #1 DETROIT’S WATER: NOT
FLOWING
In the United States – what happens when you can’t pay your
water bill?
“When I walk out my house I’m embarrassed because I know people
see that
our water’s cut off”
A city struggles to find revenue – but who should pay the price?
(15”)
TEASE # 2 TOGO: FORESTS IN FOCUS
A promising new crop in Togo could help restore lost forests.
"Moringa may not be a large tree, but if you plant it in sufficient
quantity it can contribute to fighting deforestation and land
degradation." A tree with a bright future. (17”)
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INTRO #1 DETROIT’S WATER: NOT FLOWING
You can't live without water - if you're rich or you're poor -
and that's the threat
facing thousands of people right now in the United States – in
Detroit.
(18”)
SCRIPT #1 DETROIT’S WATER: NOT FLOWING (15’32”)
VIDEO
AUDIO
AERIAL VIEW OF DETROIT
PROTESTS
MAUREEN TAYLOR:
We have a national disaster here.(3”)
CHANTING CROWD:
Water is a human right. (4”)
ALEXIS WILEY:
At the end of the day everybody’s got
to pay their water bill. (3”)
CATARINA DE ALBUQUERQUE:
I’m very surprised to see the scale of
the problem – in a rich country. (6”)
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MOTOWN ARTISTS
ARCHIVE FILM DETROIT
ROCHELLE AT HOME WITH
FAMILY
MAUREEN TAYLOR:
Motown artists created the music that
has soothed the entire world (4”)
We are called the Motor City because
this is the birthplace of automobiles.
Ford Motor Company. Chrysler. (9”)
(Music)
All of those things are under attack.
(3”)
FILM ANNOUNCER:
Detroit Industry. The vital pulse-beat
of technology and resources which
has put the world on wheels. (7”)
ROCHELLE MCCASKILL:
We looked outside and they were
turning off the water. I was in the
bathroom when they were turning it
off. And I was washing my hands
and turned the water on to get the
soap off. And it was off. And I’m like –
something’s wrong with the water
tank or something. So – Lory! Lory!
And she looked out of the window:
they turned off our water! (18”)
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NARRATION:
Rochelle McCaskill’s household
includes her daughter, 25 year old
Loreal, her grandson, 4 year old
Gregory and 16 year-old Mica,
Gregory’s aunt. Their water was shut
off for a week before being restored
again.(15”)
ROCHELLE MCCASKILL:
I don’t like weekdays because utility
companies, as well as the water
company, can turn off your utilities.
They don’t come out on the
weekends. So my favourite day,
when I see after twelve midnight, is
Saturday morning. Because I know
they’re not going to be coming to turn
anything off. (20”)
NARRATION:
While the water was disconnected
neighbours and volunteers brought
jugs of water. (6”)
ROCHELLE MCCASKILL:
We have a five gallon jug. We know
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we’re going to get two flushes out of
that. So if the colour is yellow – don’t
flush. If it’s brown, we gotta flush.
Can I have hugs. I need a hug. But
not too hard. (16”)
NARRATION:
Rochelle, who suffers from lupus and
other serious ailments, is unable to
work and has to rely on disability
benefits. (7”)
ROCHELLE MCCASKILL:
We borrow from a lot of people, but
then people – they know they’re not
going to get it back – because I don’t
make enough. I only make $672 a
month. So I have a bill that’s $75.23
and I pay the rent at $600. So I don’t
even have enough for the water bill.
(21”)
NARRATION:
540 dollars in arrears Rochelle had to
start a repayment plan to get her
water back – but she can’t make the
payments. Her predicament is the
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outcome of a much larger struggle –
how does Detroit pay off crippling
debts while also protecting its poor?
(18”)
ROCHELLE MCCASKILL:
We go without things here. You know
– you can’t get cheap paper towels. It
still costs. That determines what we
have each month. Are we going to
have good toilet paper? Or are we
literally going to get a Sunday
newspaper: Sunday News is bigger –
so you can shred. And that’s how we
survive. We think of things. We
improvise. (23”)
The blue sign to me is – when I walk
out my house I’m embarrassed
because I know people see that our
water is cut off and can be cut off
again. (9”)
My daughter’s my caregiver. When I
can’t get out the bed she actually has
to almost physically lift me out the
bed.(9”0
NARRATION:
Loreal, who returned from Georgia to
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LOREAL WITH SON GREG
PEOPLE IN LINE FOR FOOD
look after her mother, has been
unable to find work. Detroit has a
15% unemployment rate, and 40%
live at or below the official poverty
line. Four fifths of the population are
black. We found these people lining
up for free food at the end of
Rochelle’s street. While there are
some jobs available in the suburbs -
that would require a car - and Loreal
has no car.
The first water shut off wasn’t the end
of the story. Not long afterwards the
family’s electricity was cut, then the
water contractors came close to
disconnecting them again. (40”)
LOREAL MCCASKILL:
I get up one morning and I see a key
going into the water thing and I go
outside, like “Excuse me, what are
you doing?” Because we live in a
duplex. “What house are you doing?”
“We’re doing your house.” “No. I just
paid the bill.” So he was like, “I’m
sorry it was a misunderstanding.”
How do you do that? How does that
happen? (22”)
NARRATION:
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PHOTOS ROCHELLE AS NURSE
DETROIT HOUSES
BUS TOUR BY UN SPECIAL
RAPPORTEURS
Rochelle worked as a hospice nurse
for 23 years. (3”)
ROCHELLE MCCASKILL:
This whole thing has brought
everything to the surface. Not doing
what I love to do, what I’ve been
doing. Taking care of people who
were dying and making sure they
died with dignity, and no pain, and
respect. Not just dying alone. I can’t
do that anymore. And I can’t take
care of a household? Sometimes it
makes it like: why am I here? (27”)
NARRATION:
Rochelle and her family live in one
the more than 30,00 Detroit
residences that had water shut off in
2014. More than half of those
residences were eventually
reconnected, but at any one time,
thousands are without water. (14”)
WOMAN:
It was difficult because you can’t flush
the toilet, can’t turn the water on
when you’re used to using it. (5”)
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ON CAMERA INTERVIEWS
NARRATION:
This woman’s house is another one
of the 30000. Meeting with her, are
the United Nations Special
Rapporteur for Water Catarina de
Albuquerque and the UN Special
Rapporteur for Housing Leilani Farha.
Responding to an appeal for
assistance from Detroit activist
groups they tour the city by bus and
hold a town hall meeting. (21”)
CATARINA DE ALBUQUERQUE:
One of the mothers we were talking
to yesterday – she has teenage girls.
And I was asking, “So how do you do
when you are menstruating?” And
she was saying they take a little bottle
of water, they go to the toilet, and
they wash themselves with this tiny
bit of water. You cannot bath. You
arrive in school and you stink. You
don’t want to go to school because
other kids tease you because you
stink. (23”)
LEILANI FARHA:
Housing becomes unaffordable when
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RUINED HOUSES
ARCHIVE FILM
your water bills become unaffordable.
And that’s what we’re seeing here in
Detroit. I know through my twenty
years of work in the area of housing
that low-income people will always
choose to pay their rent before any
other bill because they need their
housing. (20”)
NARRATION:
So it comes down to keeping your
house OR paying the water bill. The
irony of this situation is almost too
obvious – since Detroit is in the great
lakes region of the United States – as
this 1965 film – made for the city’s bid
to host the Olympics - points out –
(17”)
FILM ANNOUNCER:
Detroiters just naturally take to the
water. They enjoy more sparkling,
pure water than any similar area in
the world. (10”)
NARRATION:
Detroit, with its booming car industry,
was at one point the fastest growing
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MAUREEN TAYLER SHOWS
RUINED HOUSES
city in the US. (5”)
FILM ANNOUNCER:
Yes Detroit is enjoying its finest hour.
There is a renaissance, a rebirth in
the city. (8”)
MAUREEN TAYLOR:
How many houses are there
abandoned in the city of Detroit? The
city confesses to 80,000 homes. This
is just one of them. Here is a
gorgeous door that someone paid for
to get it done and as you can see –
look at that! – it works just fine. My
name is Maureen Taylor and I’m the
state chairperson of an organization
called Michigan Welfare Rights. (27”)
Then the scavengers come by – and
look at this – it’s a hallway; water
might have been running here for
ever. Somebody set it on fire,
probably the developers. But these
were people that lived in a beautiful
little community. And they lost their
jobs. They couldn’t pay the taxes any
more. (20”)
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RUINED FACTORY AERIAL SHOTS
CITY SCENES DETROIT
RUINED HOUSES
NARRATION:
The city officially went bankrupt in
2013 – a situation that was only
settled in court in late 2014. So how
did all this come to pass?
This ruined factory once churned out
luxury Packard cars.From the sixties
onwards, the automobile industry
contracted in the face of intense
international competition – then social
unrest accelerated a massive flight of
middle class families out of the city.
(30”)
MAUREEN TAYLOR:
We’ve lost 450,000 manufacturing
jobs in just Detroit. You cannot make
up that kind of a hit. (9”)
NARRATION:
Detroit’s overall population shrank
from nearly 2 million to 700,000
today. As jobs became scarcer, city
services became more expensive and
difficult to maintain. Detroit’s water
system was caught at the centre of
this. Today it is $6 billion in debt, and
nearly half of its customers are
behind with their bills – which are
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ON CAMERA INTERVIEW
VARIOUS INTERVIEWS – FROM TV
AND ONLINE
among the highest in the country. It
was at this point that the Detroit
Water Department stepped up shut-
offs in an attempt to force people to
pay up. (31”)
DARRYL LATTIMER:
You’ve got to keep in mind the
system was built for about two million
customers in the city of Detroit. (4”)
NARRATION:
Deputy Director Darryl Lattimer. (3”)
DARRYL LATTIMER:
You know when you’re talking about
a population that’s somewhere
around 700,000. So we’ve lost 25 –
30% of our sales and we still have
this high amount of fixed costs. We
have less people to spread that cost
over. (15”)
NARRATION:
Everyone agrees there’s a problem –
but that’s where the agreement ends
– should people just pay up? Can
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they pay up? It’s activists versus the
mayor’s spokesperson and city
officials. (12”)
ALEXIS WILEY:
People in Detroit are paying higher
rates because there are so many
people who aren’t paying. (5”)
MAUREEN TAYLOR:
To suggest that people don’t want to
pay for water bills is scandalous.
What is at stake here…(6”)
MAN:
Maureen you don’t believe that there
are people that don’t want to pay the
bill. (3”)
DARRYL LATTIMER:
When you go through the chain of
paying the water bill we’re usually
somewhere down the line below
electricity, gas and even cable in
some households. (11”)
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DETROIT MAYOR AT PUBLIC
MEETING
MAUREEN AT SITE OF RUINED
HOUSES
NARRATION:
The reality is that there are no official
figures to distinguish how many
people can pay but don’t from those
who simply can’t pay from their own
resources. The mayor’s office
declined our requests for an
interview. In public Mayor Mike
Duggan says they’ve helped tens of
thousands of people through a new
repayment plan – but…(21”)
MIKE DUGGAN:
But you’ve got to make your
payments. If you miss your payments,
the next time you’re going to put 30%
down. And if you miss your payments
again you’re going to have to put 50%
down. So we’ll work with you, as long
as you’re making your payments.
(16”)
MAUREEN TAYLOR:
The rules, the eligibility rules to
access some of those dollars are
stringent. You have to have a current
bill. You have to have a bill that’s not
more than two months behind. If you
default, one time, you’re thrown off
the payment plan, and now within
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ON CAMERA INTERVIEW
ROCHELLE AT HOME
thirty days you must pay the total bill.
What kind of payment plan is that?
It’s not a payment plan that will work.
(24”)
NARRATION:
Maureen Taylor calls for a much
more flexible repayment plan which is
adjusted to each individual’s ability to
pay. (7”)
CATARINA DE ALBUQUERQUE:
I am not saying, and I’ve never said
that everyone should get free water.
No. I’m not saying that. What I’m
saying is that you have to have an
affordability threshold. You should not
be devoting more than a certain
percentage of your household income
to water and sanitation – and this
should be two or three percent. And
in addition to that we need tailored
measures to support those who are in
more difficult situations. (27”)
NARRATION:
From the UN’s investigation, Rochelle
is far from alone - large numbers of
people simply can’t afford to pay. The
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ON CAMERA INTERVIEW
mayor says the city is raising 4 million
dollars to help the very poor, but
many aren’t being reached. Rochelle
was told there was no such money
available for her – and is four million
dollars sufficient anyway? (20”)
LEILANI FARHA:
The success of a programme that’s
aimed at recouping lost revenue – the
success is how you treat your most
vulnerable. If the most vulnerable
come through the policy decisions
and the processes fine, housed and
with running water, that’s a
successful programme in my opinion.
If the vulnerable come through
homeless and without running water
– not such a successful
implementation. (25”)
NARRATION:
The UN rapporteurs point out that a
number of countries worldwide have
simply made it illegal to cut off
someone’s water, for any reason. (8”)
LEILANI FARHA:
I think some people have this sense
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ROCHELLE AT HOME
of “Oh you know we shouldn’t always
be asking government to protect us.”
In some instances where human
rights are at stake, that is absolutely
legitimate. It is governments that
have that responsibility. (12”)
ROCHELLE MCCASKILL:
I like to draw and paint. It’s calming
for me. Then I’m in another world. I’m
focused on the painting. (8”)
NARRATION:
Rochelle’s uncle William
Weatherspoon was a major writer for
Motown records. (4”)
ROCHELLE MCCASKILL:
He wrote this one song when I was
sitting next to him on the piano,
because I was learning to play piano
with him. He was writing this song
called “What Becomes of the
Brokenhearted”. So he just started
writing. He’s like “Does that sound
good?” And I was like, “Yeah, sounds
good to me.” (17”)
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LOREAL AND GREG AT CLINIC
ROCHELLE’S FAMILY AT HOME
NARRATION:
The song – appropriately enough – is
about searching for peace of mind.
(5”)
In Rochelle’s household, the
unpayable water bill still looms, but at
least the family is covered by
government funded healthcare –and
they receive modest support to buy
food. (21”)
So they do what they need to do to
survive - they support each other –
and find fulfilment where they can –
(6”)
And for the time being at least, they
still have water. (3”)
INTRO #2 TOGO: FOCUS ON FORESTS
In Togo, West Africa, forests are disappearing fast - but some
believe a newly
introduced tree can not only reverse that trend – but also bring
jobs and boost
nutrition too. (14”)
SCRIPT #2 TOGO: FOCUS ON FORESTS (8’00”)
VIDEO
AUDIO
Elizabeth Afi Koso: (In French)
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VILLAGE SCENES, DANCING
ELIZABETH INTERACTS WITH
GROUP OF WOMEN
SCENES IN FIELD WITH MORINGA
AND OTHER CROPS
My name is Elizabeth Afi Koso, I am a
Moringa farmer. Everywhere I go,
people know that I am here to
sensitize them regarding Moringa.
Yes, I am Mama Moringa! (“19)
NARRATION
When she is not tending her crops,
Elizabeth travels across her native
Togo, in West Africa, extolling the
virtues of a little known tree. (10”)
Elizabeth: (In French)
I sensitize both women and men in
hope that they will plant moringa,
because it will enrich their soil and
because it is nutritious. Moringa is a
tree of life. (14”)
NARRATOR:
ELISABETH IN VILLAGE WITH RED
CROSS WORKERS
The Moringa Oleifera tree is native to
India, where its leaves and fruits have
long been consumed for their
nutritional benefits. Yet here in West
Africa Moringa is still little known…
Elizabeth has teamed up with the
Togolese Red Cross to teach
villagers how to cook moringa and
integrate it into their daily diets. Here
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in Togo malnutrition rates are high,
and moringa may represent an
affordable alternative to staple foods
like maize and rice. (32”)
Elizabeth: (In French)
When we eat moringa, we are
healthier because it contains lots of
vitamins that can help us carry on
with our work. (8”)
SCENES IN FIELDS WITH
PROFESSOR KOKOU AND ERIC
NARRATION
Drought resistant and fast-growing,
the moringa tree is easily cultivated in
subtropical areas, where many
farmers see it as a potentially
lucrative plantation crop. Local NGOs
are increasingly interested in its
beneficial properties.
Professeur Kokou is an academic
from the University of Lome in Togo.
He has studied moringa for the past
15 years and is spearheading the
movement to promote its cultivation
across the country. (32”)
Professor Kokou: (In French)
We have proven that this plant
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ON CAMERA INTERVIEW
contains many nutrients, like vitamins
and minerals. We recommend it to
the local community as a means to
fight against malnutrition. (14”)
PROFESSORE KOKOU WITH
FARMERS
WIDE SHOTES FOREST SCENES
NARRATION
While moringa may represent a
precious source of nutrition and
supplemental income for these
farmers, it may also help solve one of
Togo’s most pressing issues… high
deforestation. Togo has lost over half
of its forest cover in the past 60 years
and its deforestation rate remains
among the highest in Africa. A rate so
high that it may lead to the permanent
disappearance of forest cover… (29”)
Professor Kokou: (In French)
Togo is now one of the poorest
countries in forest cover in West
Africa. We are headed for a disaster
because people are heavily reliant on
the forest. When you depend on a
resource and you are unable to
manage it sustainably, it’s a
catastrophe waiting to happen. (20”)
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PROFESSOR WITH FARMERS NARRATOR
The professor’s hope is that farmers
will include moringa in their fields to
help regenerate tree planting, rather
than tree cutting. This will maintain
forest cover, improve food security
and promote rural development in a
system known as agroforestry. (18”)
ERIC WORKING WITH MORINGA
PLANTS
Professor Kokou: (In French)
Today our solution is to encourage
farmers to associate trees to their
agricultural activities, and the tree we
recommend is moringa. Farmers can
combine moringa to traditional crops
like corn, cassava and peanut. Moring
farming is therefore the solution we
recommend to local populations.
Moringa may not be a large tree, but
if you plant it in sufficient quantity it
can contribute to fighting land
degradation and deforestation. (40”)
MORINGA NURSERY NARRATOR
The professor has received a grant to
develop a moringa nursery where
Togolese farmers are taught to
cultivate the plants before distributing
them locally. A young farmer named
Eric supervises the day-to-day
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operations. (15”)
ERIC WITH MORINGA PLANTS
ERIC: (In French)
My name is Adévou Komlah Eric, I
studied agriculture and agroforestry in
Ghana. Upon returning to Togo I
began planting trees to help
regenerate lost forest. Today I have
at least 3 hectares of moringa
plantation. Since I’ve discovered
moringa I eat it twice a week. I cut it
right from the field, and it replaces
vegetables, which I would otherwise
have to buy in the market. It helps me
save money for other things I need.
ERIC AT HOME WITH SON AND
WIFE
ON CAMERA INTERVIEW
In my home, my wife and child love
moringa dishes. I’ve been feeding it to
my son Maxwell since his birth. It has
contributed to his development into
an intelligent and clever child. It has
greatly contributed to the health of the
whole family. (83”)
MRS Tchaptchet (In French)
Nutrition is extremely important,
especially when it comes to feeding
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WOMEN TAKING MORINGA FOR
PROCESSING
children. (6”)
NARRATOR
Mrs Thaptchet in director of the
United Nations’ World Food
Program’s Togo Office. (5”)
MRS Tchaptchet (In French)
The emphasis in recent years has
been on buying locally, specifically
moringa, as it helps provide revenue
for local populations while increasing
production. This also helps improve
their quality of life. We are looking
into including moringa in our food
baskets. (27”)
MORINGA PROCESSING
NARRATOR
With moringa’s growing popularity,
demand has increased. Moringa leaf
powder is now sold as a nutritional
supplement in pharmacies across
Togo, and internationally… and
Elizabeth is ramping up production to
meet that demand. She works with
local villagers to increase moringa
output. They pick, sort and gather the
branches. Her husband then delivers
the harvest to their home where the
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leaves are dried … plucked…. and
finally milled into a fine powder.
Elizabeth then delivers the powder to
a local buyer who will distribute it onto
the market. (48”)
ELIZABETH (In French)
Financially I am doing well. I have
additional revenue because I sell
moringa. I can help my children and
send them to school. When I need
money, I can sell Moringa. (16”)
NARRATOR
Today, moringa has been recognized
by the United Nations Forum on
Forests as a promising source of
financing both for local livelihoods
and forest conservation in Togo and
beyond. (13”)
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CLOSE
And that’s all for this edition of 21st Century, sharing the
world’s stories. I’m
Daljit Dhaliwal. We’ll see you next time, until then. Goodbye.
(11”)
(CREDITS SHOW #98 TRT 47”)
21st
Century
A production of United Nations Television
Department of Public Information
Detroit’s water – not flowing
Producer
Francis Mead
Videographer
Antonio Tibaldi
Parker Gyokeres
Francis Mead
Editor
Francis Mead
Narrator
Francis Mead
Archive
Retro Video
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28
Additional Footage
Kate Levy
Propellerheads Aerial Photography
Special thanks
Maureen Taylor
TOGO – FORESTS IN FOCUS
Producer
Nathan Beriro
Videographer
Nathan Beriro
Editor
Nathan Beriro
Narrator
Daljit Dhaliwal
Special thanks
For financial and technical support received as part of the
project
on facilitating financing for sustainable forest management in
small
island developing states and low forest cover countries from
Global Environment Facility (GEF)
United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF)
United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP)
Kinomé
Forest & Life
Les Amis de la Terre, Togo
APPEF, Togo
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Director
Kenneth McCaleb
Lighting Director
Gus Theo
Technical Director
Ken Glinski
Camera
Wayne Ferguson
Eric Balgley
Video
Brian Walsh
Audio
Tom Giovanelli
Teleprompter
Damien Corrigan
Videotape
William Bracero
Andrew Casper
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30
Floor Manager
Maggie Yates
Stylist
Anne Paul
Line Producer
Maggie Yates
Post- production Editor
Ben Lybrand
Post-production Coordinator
Lebe Besa
Executive Producers
Gill Fickling
Francis Mead
Executive-in-Charge
Chaim Litewski