The Beach of Stones
Windhoek, Namibia | Film Short
Adventure, Drama
An epic journey back to the time of diamond discovery on Namibia’s desert coastline, where a fragile encounter led to a new symbol of status that rippled around the world.
The Beach of Stones
Windhoek, Namibia | Film Short
Adventure, Drama
1 Campaigns | South-East District, Botswana
77 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$20,410
Goal: $29,600 for production
An epic journey back to the time of diamond discovery on Namibia’s desert coastline, where a fragile encounter led to a new symbol of status that rippled around the world.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
South West Africa, early 1900s. The Beach of Stones is a story about Andimba, an elder facing unstoppable change. As the sands shift beneath his feet, he confronts his diminishing place in the world, and questions what power he has to change it.
A born leader, dignified, wise to the bigger moves at play. He represents tradition, an established way of life, colliding with the inevitable march of progress. His lands have diamonds, and the machinery of industrialisation looms. In him, we see our own doubts about our ability to remain relevant in a world that is changing before our eyes.
The opposing force is embodied by Edwin, a prospector driven by belief rather than malice. He does not see himself as a villain. He sees opportunity. His drive to succeed blinds him to the cost that progress buries beneath it. His ambition is dangerous precisely because it feels rational, even necessary, within the system he serves.
There is a nuance to the dance between these two characters. The confrontation between them reveals something else about the nature of our world. Andimba is the custodian of the land. Perhaps these stones have no value to him, but the fate of his ancestral land is priceless. Edwin sees in it the seed of something far greater: leverage, control, and the foundation of an empire. But it is none of these things without his careful planning. Is it a fair trade?
On the surface, this is an intimate meeting between two characters. Beneath it is a turning point that changes the face of the continent, and the world, forever.
Based on real events, The Beach of Stones sits between period adventure epic and a post-Western in genre. The story is set in the far reaches of the frontier, but not the frontier as you know it. A place where desert lion and elephant roam, where endless towering sand dunes roll down to a wild, crashing ocean. Modern day Namibia, one of the most desolate and spectacular countries on earth.
Our cinematography will lean into sun bleached, barren landscapes and the ominous mountain ranges that play silent witness to the struggles between men. We will recreate a tribal settlement and contrast the blazing heat with the softer dawn and dusk hours within the community. Our finale will take us to towering dunes, where hyena skulls are revealed in the wind.
This is the remarkable, even unbelievable truth behind the formation of today’s diamond industry. Being true to that is a responsibility we don’t take lightly. We are casting from indigenous talent and traveling to difficult, inaccessible locations, choices that raise the price tag of the production, but seep into the emotion and weight of the film.
Our team is made of seasoned industry pros, all from this region. The director/DP team have had two previous outings on desert shoots, the producers have deep experience in Namibia and its logistical challenges, and the art department have a proven resourcefulness and eye for the period elements that are crucial for authenticity on-screen.
We are already in motion! Check out some locations, art dept and wardrobe already taking shape.
We’ve started this campaign with two-thirds of our funds in place, reaching our funding goal enables us to realize the essence of the script. If we reach that, we’d be thrilled to hit additional stretch goals that would allow:
- 110% hire of a 1900s picture vehicle and transport from Cape Town, a key period detail.
- 125% relocates the shoot from the centre of Namibia to the south, where diamonds were found, requiring access to restricted private concessions.
- 130% to double the village structures for a greater scale of the community on screen.
- 140% to engage a PR and marketing firm for festival promotion, award targets, and greater audience reach.
Not able to pledge support right now? Here are other ways you can help:
- Amplify our reach by sharing with friends, family and film lovers.
- Follow @williamarmstrong and @thebeachofstones on Instagram, and post about what we are doing.
- Introduce us to potential investors, supporters, agents or scripted industry professionals.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera/Lens Package
Costs $3,000
A top end Arri cinema package that needs to be trucked cross-border from Cape Town to our remote shooting location.
Art Department
Costs $5,000
Required for the construction of a period-correct 1900's village, including huts, props, and same era post office.
Wardrobe
Costs $1,800
A combination of rental and originally created period correct wardrobe for main cast and 20 extras, some requiring transport from Cape Town.
Location Costs
Costs $5,000
Includes special access to restricted concessions, permits for building in remote areas and overnighting crew away from city accommodations.
Lighting Equipment
Costs $2,000
While we mostly rely on natural light, we require a light equipment package to cover night and interiors, transported from Cape Town.
Harddrives
Costs $800
Where all our footage gets stored to after every day of shooting, requiring an estimated 14TB of space and back-up drives.
Crew costs
Costs $5,000
Supports our crew who are traveling in and breathing life into this story through passion and expertise.
Cast
Costs $3,000
Our lead actors, plus a guest to be announced soon, and the village community that make up the background of the story.
Transport & Unit Logistics
Costs $4,000
We are traveling people and equipment to very remote, off grid locations, requiring power generators, gear trucks, fuel and travel hours.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer/director: William Armstrong. Raised in Botswana, William broke through with a Young Director Award at the Cannes Lions in 2012, and went on to direct global TV commercials for brands like Mercedes, Adidas and Samsung in locations as varied as Mexico, Kazakhstan and China. His short films have premiered at Tribeca, Cleveland, RiverRun, IndyShorts, Bolton, and Odense, featured in The New Yorker and exhibited at the Trapholt Museum of Modern Art, Denmark. William participated in the Judith Weston directing actor’s lab in London, 2025 and completed an episodic writer’s lab through Sundance Collab in 2023.
Producer: Lesley-Anne Mulder. A South African producer operating a cross-continent production company for 20+ years, Lesley-Anne has budgeted, produced and problem-solved productions for some of the world’s most prestigious networks and production companies including The Amazing Race franchise for CBS, Disney, Keshet TV, Channel One, Netflix, Amblin Entertainment, Paramount+, Peacock, Sony, Smithsonian Channel, NBCU, BBC, and Al Jazeera. Lesley-Anne is deeply committed to empowering the communities she works with by prioritizing training and mentorship. She has made a lasting impact by providing valuable opportunities for local talent in Africa and beyond.
Director of Photography: Deon Van Zyl. A Johannesburg-born cinematographer who began his career from working with small teams, developing an adaptable and resourceful approach to storytelling. Working in a style between naturalism and heightened realism, he has built lasting collaborations with directors and crafted award-recognised work across commercials, music videos, experimental, narrative, and documentary projects.
Production Designer: Carine Tredgold. Zimbabwean-born production designer for feature films, short films, commercials, and unscripted TV since 1987, with extensive shooting experience in many parts of Africa. Management for HIFA (Harare International Festival of Arts) 2000-2018. Technical Advisor and stage management facilitator for Sauti Za Busara Music Festival, Zanzibar since 2015, and for the ACCES Music festival since 2019.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
South West Africa, early 1900s. The Beach of Stones is a story about Andimba, an elder facing unstoppable change. As the sands shift beneath his feet, he confronts his diminishing place in the world, and questions what power he has to change it.
A born leader, dignified, wise to the bigger moves at play. He represents tradition, an established way of life, colliding with the inevitable march of progress. His lands have diamonds, and the machinery of industrialisation looms. In him, we see our own doubts about our ability to remain relevant in a world that is changing before our eyes.
The opposing force is embodied by Edwin, a prospector driven by belief rather than malice. He does not see himself as a villain. He sees opportunity. His drive to succeed blinds him to the cost that progress buries beneath it. His ambition is dangerous precisely because it feels rational, even necessary, within the system he serves.
There is a nuance to the dance between these two characters. The confrontation between them reveals something else about the nature of our world. Andimba is the custodian of the land. Perhaps these stones have no value to him, but the fate of his ancestral land is priceless. Edwin sees in it the seed of something far greater: leverage, control, and the foundation of an empire. But it is none of these things without his careful planning. Is it a fair trade?
On the surface, this is an intimate meeting between two characters. Beneath it is a turning point that changes the face of the continent, and the world, forever.
Based on real events, The Beach of Stones sits between period adventure epic and a post-Western in genre. The story is set in the far reaches of the frontier, but not the frontier as you know it. A place where desert lion and elephant roam, where endless towering sand dunes roll down to a wild, crashing ocean. Modern day Namibia, one of the most desolate and spectacular countries on earth.
Our cinematography will lean into sun bleached, barren landscapes and the ominous mountain ranges that play silent witness to the struggles between men. We will recreate a tribal settlement and contrast the blazing heat with the softer dawn and dusk hours within the community. Our finale will take us to towering dunes, where hyena skulls are revealed in the wind.
This is the remarkable, even unbelievable truth behind the formation of today’s diamond industry. Being true to that is a responsibility we don’t take lightly. We are casting from indigenous talent and traveling to difficult, inaccessible locations, choices that raise the price tag of the production, but seep into the emotion and weight of the film.
Our team is made of seasoned industry pros, all from this region. The director/DP team have had two previous outings on desert shoots, the producers have deep experience in Namibia and its logistical challenges, and the art department have a proven resourcefulness and eye for the period elements that are crucial for authenticity on-screen.
We are already in motion! Check out some locations, art dept and wardrobe already taking shape.
We’ve started this campaign with two-thirds of our funds in place, reaching our funding goal enables us to realize the essence of the script. If we reach that, we’d be thrilled to hit additional stretch goals that would allow:
- 110% hire of a 1900s picture vehicle and transport from Cape Town, a key period detail.
- 125% relocates the shoot from the centre of Namibia to the south, where diamonds were found, requiring access to restricted private concessions.
- 130% to double the village structures for a greater scale of the community on screen.
- 140% to engage a PR and marketing firm for festival promotion, award targets, and greater audience reach.
Not able to pledge support right now? Here are other ways you can help:
- Amplify our reach by sharing with friends, family and film lovers.
- Follow @williamarmstrong and @thebeachofstones on Instagram, and post about what we are doing.
- Introduce us to potential investors, supporters, agents or scripted industry professionals.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera/Lens Package
Costs $3,000
A top end Arri cinema package that needs to be trucked cross-border from Cape Town to our remote shooting location.
Art Department
Costs $5,000
Required for the construction of a period-correct 1900's village, including huts, props, and same era post office.
Wardrobe
Costs $1,800
A combination of rental and originally created period correct wardrobe for main cast and 20 extras, some requiring transport from Cape Town.
Location Costs
Costs $5,000
Includes special access to restricted concessions, permits for building in remote areas and overnighting crew away from city accommodations.
Lighting Equipment
Costs $2,000
While we mostly rely on natural light, we require a light equipment package to cover night and interiors, transported from Cape Town.
Harddrives
Costs $800
Where all our footage gets stored to after every day of shooting, requiring an estimated 14TB of space and back-up drives.
Crew costs
Costs $5,000
Supports our crew who are traveling in and breathing life into this story through passion and expertise.
Cast
Costs $3,000
Our lead actors, plus a guest to be announced soon, and the village community that make up the background of the story.
Transport & Unit Logistics
Costs $4,000
We are traveling people and equipment to very remote, off grid locations, requiring power generators, gear trucks, fuel and travel hours.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer/director: William Armstrong. Raised in Botswana, William broke through with a Young Director Award at the Cannes Lions in 2012, and went on to direct global TV commercials for brands like Mercedes, Adidas and Samsung in locations as varied as Mexico, Kazakhstan and China. His short films have premiered at Tribeca, Cleveland, RiverRun, IndyShorts, Bolton, and Odense, featured in The New Yorker and exhibited at the Trapholt Museum of Modern Art, Denmark. William participated in the Judith Weston directing actor’s lab in London, 2025 and completed an episodic writer’s lab through Sundance Collab in 2023.
Producer: Lesley-Anne Mulder. A South African producer operating a cross-continent production company for 20+ years, Lesley-Anne has budgeted, produced and problem-solved productions for some of the world’s most prestigious networks and production companies including The Amazing Race franchise for CBS, Disney, Keshet TV, Channel One, Netflix, Amblin Entertainment, Paramount+, Peacock, Sony, Smithsonian Channel, NBCU, BBC, and Al Jazeera. Lesley-Anne is deeply committed to empowering the communities she works with by prioritizing training and mentorship. She has made a lasting impact by providing valuable opportunities for local talent in Africa and beyond.
Director of Photography: Deon Van Zyl. A Johannesburg-born cinematographer who began his career from working with small teams, developing an adaptable and resourceful approach to storytelling. Working in a style between naturalism and heightened realism, he has built lasting collaborations with directors and crafted award-recognised work across commercials, music videos, experimental, narrative, and documentary projects.
Production Designer: Carine Tredgold. Zimbabwean-born production designer for feature films, short films, commercials, and unscripted TV since 1987, with extensive shooting experience in many parts of Africa. Management for HIFA (Harare International Festival of Arts) 2000-2018. Technical Advisor and stage management facilitator for Sauti Za Busara Music Festival, Zanzibar since 2015, and for the ACCES Music festival since 2019.