How do we react in the face of adversity or tragedy? Specifically, how do our identities and backgrounds shape the means by which we grow from these experiences? These are the questions our latest set of crowdfunding picks ask: they all focus on the ways through which women learn to deal with trauma in their lives.
The docuseries “No Man’s Land” shares stories of women around the globe who have come together to build their own communities as responses to the marginalization and discrimination they are subjected to.
Meanwhile, short horror film “The Rat” also sets its sights on women’s social justice for women. In the vein of socially conscious horror films such as “Get Out” and “The Babadook,” “The Rat” is a radical response to the power imbalance between men and women, and the fear that imbalance provokes.
Finally, in “The End of Summer,” another short, writer-director Serena Kuo returns to a family tragedy from her youth in order to understand herself.
Here’s our latest round of women-created and women-centric crowdfunding picks.
“No Man’s Land” (Docuseries) – Directed by Anna Andersen and Gabriella Canal
“No Man’s Land” concerns the lives of powerful women around the globe. The three-part docuseries focuses on different areas where women have created women-only spaces as responses to misogyny and violence. One such focus will be on La Ciudad de las Mujeres in Cartagena, Colombia, known as “The City of Women.” There, women addressed their displacement and oppression by building by hand and now occupying a hundred-home section — a parallel society.
As the “No Man’s Land” campaign page explains, “it is important to expose [young people] to both the power and promise of female-led communities as an alternate way of life, a different but doable societal structure.” These trailblazing figures remind us of the power of the support systems that keep women strong during these challenging times.
You can learn more and help “No Man’s Land” tell its story by donating to its Seed&Spark campaign.
“The Rat” (Short) – Written and Directed by Carlen May-Mann
From writer-director Carlen May-Mann, “The Rat” is inspired by subjective psychological horror flicks. The short is about a teenager named Renee, whose boyfriend takes her to a haunted house on Halloween. There, Renee is forced to confront her deepest fears.
Because so much iconic horror is written and directed by men, “The Rat” seeks to be an incisive critique of not only the genre itself, but the ills that arise from its production within the framework of patriarchy. As producer Beck Kitsis reminds us, “stories about women’s fears need to be reclaimed by women and their own narratives.”
Contribute to the film’s Kickstarter campaign here.
“End of Summer” (Short) – Written and Directed by Serena Kuo
Serena Kuo’s “End of Summer” concerns the fateful day when the writer-director and her family drove to Kuo’s college move-in day. When her father had an unexpected heart attack in the car, Kuo was shockingly thrust into adulthood. The autobiographical short centers on the event, its aftermath, and the turmoil that comes with familial hardships. In the process, Kuo is confronted by the realization of the fragility of her parents and is reminded of their attempts to find strength as first-generation immigrants. “End of Summer” will tie together these narratives of hopes and fears, trauma, queerness, and Asian-American identity.
Help support the production of “End of Summer” through their Seed&Spark campaign here.
To be considered for Women and Hollywood’s biweekly crowdfunding feature, please write to womenandhollywoodinterns@gmail.com. All formats (features, shorts, web series, etc.) welcome. Projects must be by and/or about women.
