A documentation of an escalated collecting

Filmed 2006 in Austria and Croatia and edited & produced 2008-2009

In a little parish on the outskirts of Linz in Austria one housewive and their friends started collecting stuff for the refugees of the Balkan War.
Despite of sceptics they loaded a whole truck with clothes, household effects, food and furniture.
And they went on collecting.
And over the years over 150 trucks filled with aid supplies have been sent to the Balkan.

How could this happen?
What motivates people to do this?
And why did more and more people join in?
Why do certain people like to help?
And what can one single person actually do?
How does it change oneself?
What changes does it bring about in others?
How precious can persistence be?
And how can one sleep well all the same?

I had to document this social project because it’s a beautifull example how one single person can start a big project, that grows and grows, and the people can’t stop it anymore. And they have to grow with their duties and learn things they never dared to do before.
It’s so often, when you discuss the big problems in the world, that one says: ‘What can I do as a small part of the whole?’ And this film shows the answer: ‘Just beginn!’
I also like the joy, that the protagonists have in helping others. And how this joy infects others and so on. And I wanted to know, where the roots of this joy come from.
I never wanted to make a religious film, but this simple practical way of religiosity is worth being shown.
It wasn’t easy to interview this people, who are not very acquainted with the camera but very familiar with me. And it was far too much work to finish this film all alone. So I had to learn to be as persistent as the portraited protagonists.