History is important. Those that don’t remember this aren’t just doomed to repeat their mistakes, but could potentially destroy or lose something irreplaceable. The point of this round of crowdfunding picks — all documentaries — is to preserve.
In “Broadway Treasures,” director Haeyong Moon wants to memorialize the historic movie palaces of Los Angeles. In “Harriet Tubman and the Next Generations,” the descendants of the famed Underground Railroad conductor seek to protect and add to Tubman’s legacy. Then, there is “Citizen Film,” which will capture history in real time, as it chronicles the contemporary reproductive rights movement.
Here are Women and Hollywood’s latest women-centric and women-made crowdfunding picks.
“Broadway Treasures” (Documentary) – Directed by Haeyong Moon
The opulent movie palaces of the early 20th century once peppered the United States. Now, few survive. Through interviews with historians, theater owners, preservationists, and locals, this documentary will showcase the historic theaters in the Broadway district of Los Angeles. These include 12 theaters within a 10-block span in Downtown LA.
The film will discuss their initial status as popular entertainment destinations, prior to World War II, and their decline following the invention of television. It will also go over how individual theaters survived financially or not, and how the preservation movement of the 1970s played a role for the locations that exist today. Visuals and audio will also pay homage to silent cinema, as seen in the film’s introduction on Moon’s Kickstarter page.
Moon has been working on her film since 2009, and recognizes the important role it could play in helping further preserve these Los Angeles theaters. “Being aware of these theaters, that they are unique and irreplaceable gifts from our past generation, is the first step in helping preserve the theaters,” she writes on Kickstarter. “Hearing the stories of the people who grew up in the golden age of Broadway, and learning just how special these movie palaces were to them, can bring awareness to a generation that have never experienced it before.”
Anyone who enjoys history, specifically of the cinematic variety, will appreciate Moon’s “love letter to the historic theaters of Los Angeles.”
Support “Broadway Treasures” on GoFundMe.
“Harriet Tubman and the Next Generations” (Short Documentary)
This documentary short will highlight the life and legacy of Harriet Tubman, and is being made by her living descendants, including great-great-great niece Rita Daniels, who serves as producer. “Harriet Tubman and the Next Generations” will be fact-based and include never-before-published memorabilia and artifacts. The core filmmaking team are locals of African-American descent, including teen family members of Tubman.
It is important for the family to tell Tubman’s story in their own words: they want their family’s oral history preserved for future generations. Footage will include a family reunion of descendants, and feature recorded interviews with Tubman’s great-great-grandnieces, Pauline Copes-Johnson and Geraldine Copes-Daniels, who are 93 and 86 years old, respectively. The doc will not only trace Tubman’s life, which began in 1822 and ended the same year Rosa Parks was born, but also describe what it’s like to be the relative of an American icon.
According to the project’s crowdfunding page, Daniels has largely self-funded the Harriet Tubman Learning Center in Marietta, Georgia. She hopes the film will encourage others to invest and expand the center as well as Tubman’s legacy.
Support “Harriet Tubman and the Next Generations” on Seed&Spark.
“Citizen Film” (Short Documentary) – Directed by Leah Carlisle
“Citizen Film”
“Citizen Film” defines reproductive rights as “the ability to have and raise a family in the time and manner a person chooses.” This short doc will chronicle the changing landscape of the reproductive rights movement in America. One way it will do this is by following the creation and growth of the Texas Reproductive Rights Rally Organization, and the role of three local activists. The film hopes to educate and empower society.
“The motivation for this documentary evolved naturally,” said director Leah Carlisle on Kickstarter. Like so many other women in the U.S., Carlisle is a young woman who worries about affording health insurance and accessing birth control. But “Citizen Film” isn’t just about her experience. The doc also presents the intersectional barriers that strip other communities — including people of color, LGBTQ individuals, and the poor — of their reproductive rights.
Support “Citizen Film” 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.) welcome. Projects must be by and/or about women.
