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Community support time!
Cynthia and I have been filling out applications and writing essays for grants and even for conferences where we could pitch our film idea to industry professionals. Huzzah! So far, we haven’t yet found that grant opportunity that pays out $10 bazillionty. So even with grants in mind, we’re still looking for funding to complete the film. And that’s the case with all of our friends and colleagues who make independent documentaries. Without someone like FRONTLINE, HBO, or some big production company behind you, it’s all up to you to fund your film.
The beauty of documentary is that we intend for it to be a bridge to dialogue and community building. For that reason, we view community fundraising as a way for people to join the movement and the conversation early on.
If you would like to become a sponsor for “Who Am I To Stop It,” I’ve got all the details you need. If you want your company to become a sponsor, we can make that happen. If you have a job where there is a workplace giving program that gives financial support to non-profit community work, I’ve got the non-profit community work for you. Because The Hollywood Theatre is our fiscal sponsor, we’re able to raise money like a non-profit. And that means for donations of $250 and larger, you get a tax deduction. Of course, donations of any size are warmly and graciously accepted, and thank yous are given in the film’s credits.
What’s left to fund?
-Several more days with Kris and Brandon
-Editing the entire movie (!!!)
-Creating Closed Captions for increased disability access
-Recording Dani and Brandon playing their original music for the soundtrack
-A lot of nitty-gritty that would bore you to sleep but that’s needed behind the scenes
-And all the fabulous finishing touches that sweeten the sound, correct the colors, and make it into a glimmering package of gloriousness to play in theaters, film festivals, brain injury conferences, and anywhere you can think of where the dialogue is needed
Here is our sponsorship flyer. If you’d like a real copy that’s not pixelated, drop me a line! I can get you all the information you need to share with individuals and businesses about becoming a sponsor and why we feel this film is so important.
Because we’re showing types of people who don’t usually make it into films and even documentaries. We’re showing them in their daily lives, focusing on who they are and what they do, not what part of their brain got damaged. And we’re showing the realities of social isolation and how the arts can be that bridge to community and to your sense of self in response to that isolation. It’s subtle, nuanced and powerfully honest stuff. And there are very few interviews. So you can watch people’s lives unfold rather than stare at them while they tell you all about it. Very unusual for a documentary. And very much needed.
[Image description: A flyer with a teal border. Three photos show people from the documentary: Dani in her graduation cap and gown with her cousin Athena, looking up at a photographer in the stands; Kris setting out many large paintings on canvas against the wall, getting ready to take them to an arts exhibition; and Brandon and Cheryl with their arms around each other’s shoulders and laughing, probably at nothing. Text describes the rewards for levels of giving between $250 and $5,000. Information on where to send donations is given. https://tinyurl.com/kanbgqo is the URL for donations of $250 and larger.]