When life hands you lemons, go find a life coach who moonlights as a mermaid. Well, at least that’s the conceit of one of our latest crowdfunding picks. Mermaids aside, all of our picks — which include two short films and two documentary features — all capture how one gathers the courage to respond when life delivers a rude awakening.
In the case of “Being Bebe,” director Emily Branham takes us inside the ups and down of adjusting to life after drag queen stardom on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Meanwhile, writer-director Jo Rochelle’s short film “Sirens” sees mermaids helping a grieving mother cope after her unarmed son becomes a victim of a police shooting.
Award-winning filmmaker Rachel Lears’ documentary “Knock Down the House” puts a human face on the record-breaking numbers of women running for public office in response to Trump’s presidential win by following four women from different parts of the United States on their respective campaign trails.
And finally, “Grit,” a narrative short film — written, directed, produced, and shot by an all-women team — depicts the irreverent and brutally honest ways one woman handles her struggles with infertility.
Here is our latest round of women-created and women-centric crowdfunding selections.
“Being Bebe” (Documentary) — Directed by Emily Branham
This feature-length documentary follows the journey of the performance artist known as “BeBe Zahara Bene,” from her historic win on the first ever season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” to the uncertain road that followed over the past decade.
Born Marshall Kudi Ngwa, Bebe is originally from Cameroon in West Africa, and got started in drag performance in Minneapolis. The film depicts a performer “always on a relentless pursuit to become the artist he knows he was born to be” and gives audiences a window into what it’s like to return to real life after achieving fame on television.
Now a contestant on the third season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars,” and the first ever past winner to return and compete on “All Stars,” the film places Bebe’s personal journey in the context of a decade of increased visibility for drag and LGBT performers on the world’s stage.
The team behind the film is seeking $33,000 in post-production and completion funds. You can support the film via Kickstarter.
“Grit” (Short) — Directed by Eileen Abarrca and Jordan Auten; Written by Eileen Abarrca
When writer-co-director Eileen Abarrca and her husband decided to have a child they were surprised to discover they had fertility issues. This experience, coupled with the national trend of women choosing to have children later in life, eventually led to the idea for the dramedy short “Grit.”
The short film follows the story of Frankie, a “daring, crass, and courageous” woman deciding whether or not to try to have child in the face of infertility, say the film’s creators. They see “Grit” as “an empowering and honest story about womanhood and perseverance” with a tone that is inspired by “Better Things” and “I Love Dick.”
According to Abarrca and co-director Jordan Auten, “Grit” is “ultimately a story about choice, about women having agency over their bodies and their futures, and a film that celebrates all women who are unapologetic, who create their own possibilities.”
Contribute to “Grit” via Seed&Spark.
“Sirens” (Short) — Written and Directed by Jo Rochelle
In the world of the Los Angeles-set short film “Sirens,” mermaids exists as modern-day life coaches with “tails in the water and feet on land” who help people overcome commonplace issues like quitting smoking.
However, when a woman appears on the Mermaid Couch asking how to forget her son after he was killed by the police, the film takes on a deeper tone. Exploring the question, “What do we do with pain?” this short presents itself as equal parts whimsical and dramatic.
Support “Sirens’” Seed&Spark campaign.
“Knock Down the House” (Documentary) — Directed by Rachel Lears
https://medium.com/media/019dad0dff010df8b7c1c97628336ea5/href
The feature-length documentary “Knock Down the House” follows four women galvanized by the 2016 election as they run for public office for the first time.
Amy Vilela, a business woman and grieving mother in Las Vegas; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a waitress and activist in the Bronx; Cori Bush, a nurse turned activist in St. Louis; and Paula Jean Swearengin, a coal-miner’s daughter and health advocate in West Virginia serve as the doc’s subjections — and are part of the diverse group of women candidates running for election in unprecedented numbers across the country.
According to the film’s Kickstarter campaign, the film traces the journey of these four candidates as they work to “unify their divided districts, discover courage in the midst of pain and loss, and withstand personal attacks from political machines determined to hold on to power.”
As the 2018 mid-term elections draw closer, this film tells a hopeful story about the power of average citizens to make change.
Support the doc’s campaign on Kickstarter.
To be considered for Women and Hollywood’s biweekly crowdfunding feature, please write to womenandhollywoodinterns@gmail.com. All formats (features, shorts, web series, etc.) are welcome. Projects must be by and/or about women.
