This round of August’s crowdfunding picks challenge us to acknowledge and empathize with some who are invisible in most narratives: authors of famous literature, black female characters who are more than the supportive, straight-talking best friend, and flailing sex addicts.

Ema Ryan Yamazaki’s as-yet-untitled documentary goes behind the scenes of the “Curious George” books. Authors of children’s literature often go unnoticed and without proper admiration, since even their most faithful readers might be too young to understand that characters do not spontaneously create themselves. Luckily, there are directors like Yamazaki who delve deeper as adults. She is giving “Curious George” writer-illustrators Hans and Margret Rey the spotlight they deserve.

In contrast, “If Not Now, When?” and “Unlovable” are fictional narratives that directly confront the constraints placed on female characters. With “If Not Now, When?,” production partners Meagan Good and Tamara Bass tell the seemingly standard story of four female friends. However, the four friends happen to be women of color, a relationship dynamic that is woefully underrepresented. “Unlovable” is about Joy, a sex and love addict struggling to genuinely connect with others while maintaining her sobriety. A lonely person looking for love is the usual Hollywood fare, but audiences are rarely exposed to stories that refuse to make a woman with a rocky romantic history the butt of the joke.

“If Not Now, When?” — Written by Tamara Bass

“If Not Now, When?” isn’t just a story about four childhood friends reunited after a crisis. It’s also a meta title that comments on the proverbial elephant in the room: If stories created by black women, about black women aren’t prevalent in 2016, when the hell will they be?

The film’s co-producers and co-stars Tamara Bass and Meagan Good want to remedy the shameful fact that women of color are barely represented onscreen, not to mention that seeing four women of color onscreen together is rare. Many young black women have to refer to ‘90s-era movies to see their experiences portrayed in film. “We remember the films we used to watch when we were younger,” Good explains. “‘Waiting to Exhale,’ ‘Women of Brewster Place’…and whatever it was, it may have really shaped the way we saw the world.”

As such, Bass and Good want “If Not Now, When?” to capture “the essence of those female bonding movies” and shape the way today’s young women of color see the world. You can bring their vision to life by visiting the film’s Indiegogo page.

“Unlovable” — Directed by Suzi Yoonessi; Written by Charlene deGuzman

Seeing someone hit rock bottom is usually played for laughs. Black comedy can be wrung from the most upsetting situations, but movies do not often emphasize the tragedy or humanity of someone — especially a female someone — at wits’ end.

Luckily, we will soon have “Unlovable.” Starring and written by Charlene deGuzman, this movie follows Joy as she accepts that her insecurities and overly-intense emotions are the result of a sex and love addiction. As Joy attempts “to go 30 days away from her ex, boys, sex, and romance,” the movie explores the many different ways people express love and find connection. Romance is very pervasive in pop culture, so it’s refreshing and almost shocking that this film is more interested in depicting familial and platonic affection, along with the ability to love one’s self.

Help tell this unconventional love story and check out its Kickstarter page.

Untitled “Curious George” Project (Documentary) — Directed by Ema Ryan Yamazaki

Like many of us, Ema Ryan Yamazaki was fond of Curious George and his adventures when she was growing up. Unlike many of us, she did some research on his origin and became fascinated with the inquisitive monkey’s creators: Hans and Margret Rey. With a documentary that blends photographs, film reels, unpublished illustrations, interviews, and original animations, the director and her team show how the Reys’ feats rival those of their beloved George. After all, you will probably be surprised to find out that Margret proposed to Hans, they both interacted with exotic animals while living in Brazil, and the German-Jewish couple fled Nazi-occupied Paris on bicycles. All of this in addition to creating a character who “continues to touch the hearts and minds of children around the world today.”

Make the Reys household names by contributing to the documentary’s Kickstarter campaign.