It’s probably fair to say that most artists want their work to remain relevant after they’re gone; for people to remember them because their art is ubiquitous. In short, their goal is to establish a legacy. This round of November’s crowdfunding picks delve into legacies: the desire to create them, the need to preserve them, their importance, and the ways they shape our lives.
“Across the Ocean” writer-directors Nicole Donadio and Uma Kumarapuram are striving to create a legacy by doing something that hasn’t been done before: become the first women filmmakers to collaborate, without a studio’s support, 8,000 miles away from each other. Donadio will shoot her portion in the US, Kumarapuram in India. Additionally, the partners hope that their film — which is loosely based on their experiences — will influence the current trajectory of women’s representation onscreen. Donadio and Kumarapuram aspire to “create a film depicting two strong-willed and powerful female leads, something that is rarely shown in movies in both India and America.”
The kids’ series “Science with Sophie” also has long term ambitions. According to the show’s creator and host, Sophie Shrand, the fact that there are few mainstream female role models in the sciences has serious consequences for young girls. With this show and her own knowledge of education, entertainment, and science, Shrand hopes that young women will be more comfortable in the lab now that they have someone other than Miss Frizzle to emulate.
Legacies are often something we strive and fight for, but they are also something that can manifest themselves without our control. That’s part of the premise of Faith Pennick’s short film, “Haunt.” The experimental, non-linear film traces the intense connection and subsequent separation between a woman in her forties and a younger man.
There are countless women content creators from the past that we’ll never know about because their work was considered useless in the time and place they inhabited. That’s the catalyst behind the “Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers” initiative. According to its campaign, “‘Pioneers’ will be the largest commercially-released video collection of films by women directors, and will focus on American films made between 1910 and 1929.” Early cinema is an important part of our cultural history, and this project will not allow women to be left out of the conversation yet again.
Kaitlin Lenhard’s documentary, “The Stories We Share,” is also interested in preserving a legacy, that of the Ojibwe language and storytelling practices. Specifically, Lenhard explores the differences between Native American languages and English — Native American languages are “structured in verbs, actions, or processes,” while English is structured in nouns — and how the boundaries of language affect the boundaries of stories. The protection of Ojibwe storytelling is contingent on the protection of its language.
Here are our latest women-created and women-centric crowdfunding picks.
“Across the Ocean” — Written and Directed by Nicole Donadio and Uma Kumarapuram
Have you ever wanted to completely change your life and start somewhere new? So have the women of “Across the Ocean.”
The two main characters are craving something else: “a new job, a new home, and, most importantly, a new adventure.” Nila wants to escape from her village in Kerala, India and live in America. She has high hopes her new fiancé “will whisk her away to this idealistic dream world.” Of course, things do not go exactly as Nila planned. On the other side of the Pacific, Holly is an LA executive who feels something is missing, even though she has a stereotypically ideal life, with a good boyfriend, good job, and good family. When she gets the chance to move to India for her dream job, Holly “struggles between facing her fears or staying in the safety and comfort of home.” As Nila and Holly deal with similar circumstances and try to figure out what’s next, it begins to dawn on them that they are the only ones stopping them from getting what they want.
Help Donadio and Kumarapuram work together (an ocean apart) by visiting the “Across the Ocean” Kickstarter page.
“Haunt” (Short) — Written and Directed by Faith Pennick
Ghost stories don’t always feature creaky floorboards and inanimate objects moving by themselves. A person doesn’t have to be dead to haunt your life, and that’s exactly what Faith Pennick’s short film is about. In the case of “Haunt,” a woman and a younger man have a brief fling and connect “in an effortless and intense way.” The woman is affected by his presence long after he leaves her. Further, Pennick examines how relationships themselves haunt single women in their forties, “knowing that [their] options aren’t as plentiful, and knowing that the dating landscape is transactional and sometimes laughable.” “Haunt” explores how meaningful relationships are never truly forgotten and how love — unrequited or not — can be just as much of an eery nuisance as any phantom.
Find out how you can help contribute to “Haunt” and check out its Kickstarter campaign.
Some might be surprised that women filmmakers’ struggle for prominence and recognition isn’t something that started in the last few decades. Talented, innovative women directors have always existed, and Illeana Douglas and Shelley Stamp want you to know their names. These two women are behind “Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers,” a collection of restored films from 1910 to 1929, including “short films, fragments, [and] isolated chapters of incomplete serials.” The collection, in association with the Library of Congress, showcases “the work of these under-appreciated filmmakers, while illuminating the gradual changes in how women directors were perceived (and treated) by the Hollywood establishment.” A few of these featured “Pioneers” are:
- Alice Guy Blaché (“Canned Harmony,” “A House Divided,” “The Ocean Waif”)
- Dorothy Davenport Reid (“The Red Kimona”)
- Cleo Madison (“Her Defiance,” “Eleanor’s Catch”)
- Nell Shipman (“Something New”)
- Elsie Jane Wilson (“The Dream Lady”)
Make sure these women and their work receive the recognition they deserve and support the “Pioneers” Kickstarter campaign.
“Science with Sophie” (Series) — Created and Hosted by Sophie Shrand
There are barely any women scientists or women in STEM careers onscreen, reflecting a problem in entertainment and real life. Only one-fifth of STEM positions are held by women, according to the National Science Foundation.
“Not only is this true in the lab, the hospital, or the science museum,” observes Sophie Shrand, “it’s reflected in the media we watch every day.” Shrand has been aware of this since she was a kid. “If I notice it, other women and girls notice too,” she says. But Shrand is doing something about it: she created and stars in “Science with Sophie,” a science comedy show for kids. The goal of this series is to help young women realize they are “smart, curious, funny, brave scientists every day” with the help of wacky characters, field interviews, and real life role models.
Help inspire girls to pursue their passion of science and check out “Science with Sophie’s” Indiegogo page.
“The Stories We Share” (Documentary) — Directed by Kaitlin Lenhard
“Sharing stories is important to us all,” says Kaitlin Lenhard. “[A]s social beings, we crave that kind of interaction, whether we seek it in film, books, or in companionship.”
Lenhard’s documentary, “The Stories We Share,” will explore what happens when there is no access to storytelling tools. As she explains, the Native American language Ojibwe is an intrinsic part of Ojibwe stories. The structure of the language influences the type of stories being told. With her documentary, Lenhard hopes to examine “Ojibwe storytelling in the Great Lakes region […] and ways of combating effects of colonialism that continue to discourage widespread sharing of indigenous stories.” In effect, this project is about more than the importance of narratives in our lives; it’s about the need to include all kinds of voices and perspectives in the stories we tell and hear. Preserving and understanding the Ojibwe language is tantamount to ensuring the Ojibwe people are free to speak up.
Find out more about the Ojibwe language and storytelling traditions by visiting “The Stories We Share” Kickstarter profile.
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.
