African Sanctus Produced and Directed by Herbert Chappell Cameraman Peter Bartleet Editor David King Feature Documentary - 1 hour VHS Video PAL or NTSC, (soon on DVD) (BBC Prix Italia nomination 1976. BBC/ CTVC 1995) Herbert Chappell's highly acclaimed original BBC Film is the story of a remarkable journey made by the composer and explorer David Fanshawe which inspired his celebrated work African Sanctus. The film retraces his musical steps up the river Nile to the source of the Nile's music. Featuring many of the original musicians he first recorded in 1969, Fanshawe explains the ethos behind his work and the process of composition. On a quest to find his African mentor, The Hippo Man, he ventures forth. The original film African Sanctus was the BBC nomination for the 1976 Prix Italia Prize, nominated for the greatest creative contribution to television

The Updated Film, (Director Herbert Chappell 1995), projects stirring and poignant images of Africa, This film combines authentic footage spanning 20 years, with Fanshawe's brilliant and innovative score. We see glimpses of the performance with The Bournemouth Symphony Chorus, Choristers of St Georges Cathedral, solo Wilhelmenia Fernandez, conducted by Neville Creed. The film also introduces Fanshawe's new work Dona Nobis Pacem - A Hymn for World Peace. African Sanctus is a visionary work which expresses unity between diverse peoples their faiths and their music. African Sanctus is testimony to the rich heritage of world music and has became a landmark in our musical lives.

Tropical Beat World Music from the Tropical Belt "Compelling viewing - a feast for the ears and the eyes, truly educational". Sydney Morning Herald.   "Musical Explorer David Fanshawe introduces his quest for the spirit of Tropical Music" BBC TV 1 hour musical documentary (BBC, 1995) - with DAVID FANSHAWE Director: Leimbach,. Producer: Hugh Rule (Eclectic Films) Cameraman: Michael Dillon VHS Video PAL or NTSC Filmed entirely on location between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, (Torres St Islands, Thailand, Laos, Zanazibar, Tanzania, Senegal, Cuba, Fiji)

We followed the story of tropical music and experienced the effect that climate, geography and raw materials have in the making of this exotic music from the world's equatorial regions. We discovered a common humanity; and examined important 'musical links' that were certainly no accident. So what makes tropical music special? Our ambitious quest: to circumnavigate the globe - this time travelling west (always west) from the sun's rising in the Torres Strait Islands, to the sun's setting over Fiji, some 30,000 miles and one year later. This film represents some of the highlights:

From the northernmost tip of Australia, our musical explorations continued through South East Asia up the mighty Mekong river to Laos and Thailand, where we celebrated the Buddhist New Year in the fabled city of Luang Prabang. In the hills of Northern Laos, we filmed the Hmong people, playing their distinctive Kaen, possibly the ancestor of the Scottish bagpipe ! From the Golden Triangle to southern India, we researched the classical, folk and tribal traditions of Karnatic music, dominated by the Veena, that venerated instrument of Saraswathi, the Goddess of learning and wisdom. The tradewinds were favourable to East Africa. We landed on the spice island of Zanzibar and discovered a polyglot of musical styles: Taarab, Beni, even Bombay film music, amongst the alluring strains of Ganoon, Ud and Violin. On the mainland of Tanzania, where tribal life is much less influenced by foreign customs, we recorded the renowned Malimba exponent Zawose, near Bagamoyo; and in central Tanzania the Wagogo tribe performed their Moheme initiation ceremony and Musunyunho courtship dances. Overland to Senegal. Here we got a great 'Stand' (calling for the unity of Africa), from the celebrated musician Bu-Baca Diop, who chose to escort us all around his country from the deep south in Casamance, where we filmed instruments like the Balafon and Kora; to Darou Mousty, the religious centre, coinciding with the annual Maagal festival of the Bai Fall sect of Islam. Off Dakar, we went to the island of Gorée, Bu-Baca's family home, where we savoured the sights and sounds of Assiko rhythms, dating back to the times of the slave-trade, a poignant reminder, as we departed for the New World. With the Tama talking-drum and Djembe drums ringing in our ears, we followed our tropical songlines to the Caribbean - to Cuba, where African musical traditions fused with Spanish. Bongos, Congas and the mellifluous Trés guitar formed the basis of Son, the ethnic root of Cha Cha Cha and Salsa. Not all music in the tropics is inspired by heat. High up in the Andes, we encountered a lovely blend of American Indian and Spanish music with hardly a trace of Africa. Filming Justo Diaz and his band Papalote, with their mesmerising Moceños bamboo panpipes, was definitely a highlight of our tour. Completing our westward journey around the earth, we finally returned to the Pacific Ocean - our last port of call being Fiji. Like most indigenous cultures, Fijian music is utterly unique. Here, we were honoured to record an historical Meke Seãseã standing dance and Vakamalolo sitting dance with uninfluenced vocal harmonies, accompanied by Derua bamboo stamping tubes, complex clapping and hypnotic choreography. At sunset, the Lali, slit-log gong, resounded as the encroaching darkness enveloped us. Tropical Beat is dedicated to all the musicians, singers and dancers, who keep their culture alive. Many fragile communities are now actively involved in the revival of their traditional cultures, thereby propagating the flowering of new musical forms. Throughout the tropics there is a big cultural renaissance. The tropical belt has survived centuries of change through wars, slavery and migration; it will continue to survive, because music is the universal heartbeat of the human race. .