In June of 2019, award-winning documentary filmmaker Rob Himebaugh and colored stone dealer Yvonne Jiew met in Thailand for the first time. Neither had a clear-cut plan for the film they were going to produce, but each was committed to an honest, thought-provoking documentation of what it means to be an international colored stone dealer. Within hours, they were on a flight to Myanmar with the intent of collaborating on a film exploring the inner workings of the gem industry. But over the course of three weeks filming in Myanmar, Thailand, and India, Yvonne and Rob unexpectedly opened the door to a magical world in which the connections between players have a profound impact that extends far beyond doing business and deep into the heart of our collective humanity.
Chasing Color winner "Best International Film," at the Oregon Documentary Film Festival
We are thrilled to announce the overwhelmingly positive response to our documentary short: Chasing Color – A Gem Trader’s Journey. The culmination of seventeen-hour days, three weeks of filming, and months of editing, Chasing Color has swept awards at Documentary Film Festivals across the United States. Thanks to the stunning editorial work and musical scores of Rob Himebaugh, and the thought-provoking insights of Yvonne Jiew, the film has received high acclaim at the following festivals this year:
Oregon Documentary Film Festival - WINNER, best international film
Los Angeles Film Awards - WINNER, best documentary short
Melbourne Indie Film Festival - SEMI-FINALIST
Newport Beach Film Festival - OFFICIAL SELECTION
North Hollywood Cinefest - OFFICIAL SELECTION
Oregon Short Film Festival - OFFICIAL SELECTION
Chasing Color Full Version of the Short Film
After the second release of the trailer (Nov 2020)
I received this message today:
"I looked at the film, it is excellent and accurate, and it is true it really did not matter where you would helping and helping the way you did, you fulfilled the promise that you gave me. I would not let you get under my skin otherwise and to invest my time and open my heart to you, only under the condition that you are going to make a difference to the poor people, and you did. God bless you."- Dr. Adolf Peretti PhD, FGG, FGA, EurGeolGRS - GEMRESEARCH SWISSLAB* UPDATE. Since this film was made, Dr Peretti was successful in achieving his humanitarian mission at the Kachin amber mines (www.pmf.org/journal) and a peace agreement is in place currently.Chasing Color was made in 2019 (one and a half years ago and therefore the discussion regarding Kachin state is no longer current)Furthermore a couple of weeks later after the event the IDP camp people have finally been able to return to the mines after clearing the land mines.
