This week’s featured women-centric crowdfunding projects may differ in style, message, and tone, but each one focuses on the self. Whether it’s finding the person you are or leaving behind the person you were, all three of these projects delve into the notion of identity. One of our selections deals with the lighter side of death (or life thereafter), while our documentary pick of the week focuses on bringing new life to those who have been marginalized, reduced and put down. Here are our three promising picks for this week’s women-centric crowdfunding projects.
baartman, beyoncé, & me — Directed by Natalie Bullock Brown
What it’s about: This 60-minute documentary unpacks the impact of “white supremacy, racism, sexism and patriarchy” on black women’s feelings of beauty and self-worth.
Who is involved: This may be Natalie Bullock Brown’s directorial debut, but she’s hardly inexperienced when it comes to being on set. With an MFA in film production from Howard University, Brown has worked as an associate producer on Ken Burns’ “Jazz” series and produced films independently.
Why we’re interested: While Brown’s impressive credentials speak for themselves, it’s her personal connection to the subject matter that assures us the film’s message will shine through. Brown remembers decorating her childhood bedroom with photos she had torn from the pages of fashion magazines, only to have her father to point to the photos and tell her she would never look like those girls. “You’re attractive, but you’re not pretty,” he said. After years of feeling reduced and internalizing the idea that she was not attractive according to society (which favors the white-beauty standard), she is turning her pain into a documentary with an important message.
The deadline: Though fully funded, the “baartman, beyoncé, & me” Kickstarter page will be accepting donations until July 8.
Life, After — Created by Corinne Caputo and Erica Tachoir
What it’s about: “Life, After” follows two best friends who, after being struck dead by a bus, are jettisoned into the afterlife. Taking their new ghostly form in stride, the two navigate their way through their new dimension in order to take care of the unfinished business they left back on Earth.
Who is involved: This comedy duo comes to us from UCB, as so many funny women have before them. Caputo is the author of “How to Success: A Writer’s Guide to Fame and Fortune,” which will be published by Chronicle Books next spring. Tachoir, a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, wrote and directed the short film “Too Sunny for Santa,” which has screened at festivals around the country.
Why we’re interested: Aside from wanting to watch more of the duo’s naturally charming dynamic (as evidenced in their Kickstarter page’s promo video), Caputo and Tachoir seem to have a clear-cut vision of their show’s tone — a hard thing to nail down when attacking the sensitive subject of death from a comedic angle.
The deadline: This project’s June 30 deadline is creeping up very quickly, so head over to their Kickstarter page before time runs out.
Girl Props — Written and Directed by Adinah Dancyger, Victoria Cronin and India Menuez
What it’s about: Four best friends, equally lost in their transition into adulthood, take a spontaneous and somewhat self-indulgent road trip westward. Along the way, tensions rise, friendships are tested and the not-yet-women ultimately realize that “internal growth does not come from a change of scenery.”
Who is involved: Born and raised New Yorkers, Cronin, Dancyger and Menuez are the founding members of the ‘Lucky You’ Art Collective, where they organize shows, film festivals, workshops and more both for their community and internationally. Friends and collaborators for almost a decade, their most recent short film, titled “I Remember Nothing,” premiered at the 2015 MoMa’s New Directors/New Film Series earlier this year.
Why we’re interested: “To depict the problems of ‘objective’ storytelling, we piece together the film’s three disparate voices through collage-like filming methods,” the directors state on their Kickstarter page. They intend to blend narrative, fantasy and documentary storytelling in order to tell this coming-of-age story as it pertains to each individual character — a novel format that demonstrates its writers/directors trying to tell contemporary stories in new ways.
The deadline: You can donate to the film’s Kickstarter page until July 2.
