In December 1999, independent Irish filmmaker Kim Bartley visited Venezuela as part of Concern Worldwide's emergency response team, to document the aftermath of the 1999 Vargas mudslides that had devastated much of Vargas State in the north of the country. Bartley become fascinated with how those affected by the tragedy perceived Chávez, and in late 2000,[20] she and Donnacha Ó Briain—a filmmaker and former colleague who shared her interest in "Latin American politics and issues around globalization"[21]—spent two weeks in Caracas to determine the feasibility of a film project.[20] The pair formed a production company, Runway Films, and in January 2001 applied to Ireland's film board, Bord Scannán na hÉireann (BSÉ), for a development grant.[22] Bartley and Ó Briain proposed a fly-on-the-wall documentary,[21] a "personal profile and intimate portrait" of Chávez[23] that would be "broadly supportive" of him.[24] During their 2000 visit, the filmmakers had sensed that "something genuinely was happening" in Caracas,[20] and felt an urgency to get the project underway; even so, it wasn't until April 2001 that BSÉ approved the £6000 (€9500) grant.[22]