Post-Production Final Fundraising Push
привіт (Hello) Everyone! This is my first of many updates.
Very soon, I'll be adding some of the team members to this GoFundMe page, but for now, I'm holding down the fort and sharing a bit about our campaign. If you've landed on this page, I'd like to thank you for considering supporting us, as we've got a fantastic collective team behind LOVE & VODKA, and most of the producers have been working either on spec or pro bono -- such as myself. "On spec" and "pro bono" for over four years is a long time, and though I love film and directing and producing so much that I consider it a joy and a privilege, there is only so far you can go without funding. And so we have built and amazing movie on a "wing and a prayer" and most people would never believe what we've been able to achieve with the time and resources we've had. The truth is that there are so many filmmakers out there right now and stories to be told that you've got to work hard to get your cinematic story out there for people to know you exist. This script wasn't mine, originally. RJ Fox brought it to me in the fall of 2017 and I was so busy getting my first feature, DARCY, out there into film festivals and distribution, that I didn't have time until the summer of 2018, to read it. I optioned it originally. But over time, it needed a lot of development work to keep up with the times and so I, and several others, helped contribute to get it to where it is today. And where it is today reflects more upon the times in Ukraine and all that the world has been through in the last several years. And yet, as director and a screenwriter, I've decided that it's best to stay hopeful and positive. Ukraine is going through enough turmoil right now and my act of defiance is to focus on love, family and bridging transatlantic borders. Hope is so important. So many people in dire situations are holding on because of hope. And I've worked hard to find Ukrainian cast and crew - many who are currently in refugee status after fleeing the war - for whom this film's subject matter and working on it could be a beacon of hope. Take our Editor and Colorist, Yakiv, for example. He's one of many. He's left Ukraine for Vancouver and has been starting from scratch in his life. His family is still home in Ukraine and though he is naturally a hopeful and positive person sometimes, while we are in an editing session, he opens up about how its hard, how he worries about his family. It's becoming "normal" to hear about bombs in his hometown where his parents still live. We've been working via Skype together since October. It's a 9 hour time difference and while he's starting his day at 9:30 a.m., I'm setting in for an evening session of editing with him at 6:30 p.m. my time - because I am usually in Berlin (when I'm not in my home town of Ypsilanti, Michigan, where I grew up). Yakiv's shared with me that he's enjoyed working on a positive and feel-good film about his country and his people, as there are so many documentaries and stories about war and crime in Ukraine that he can't see it anymore. It sends him into a bleak depression. LOVE & VODKA has been not only a professional opportunity and source of income for him, it's been a beacon of hope and medium for laughter... something he has needed so much during these difficult times in his young life. Yakiv is a young professional trying to live a normal life and focus on creating a future. He's enormously talented and we are lucky to be working with him. I've paid him out of my own pockets up until now. But I am now in debt and my pockets are empty. And so I'm turning to #gofundme and the public to help me out. "Why don't you have more producers raising funds?" you might be asking yourself. "Good question," I answer. Honestly, prior to the war in Ukraine, I did have a contract with a Ukrainian co-producer and co-production company and we were going to shoot Love & Vodka on a $1 million budget in Odessa. And then the war broke out. And my producer had to drop this project for obvious reasons - he had to protect his family from Russian bombs. My option on the script was running out and, after asking RJ Fox for an extension, he felt that he couldn't extend it. Thus, respecting his decision but not able to let go of the time and money I had already invested in the film, I decided to make this film the way I know as an American grass-roots indie filmmaker, crowdfunding. Crowdfunding is not easy. It's humbling to ask for support. When people don't respond, it's very easy to take it personally and you find yourself wondering if you are good enough. If your project is worthy. Many fellow producers have told me to let this project go. That would have been the easy thing to do. I don't know... maybe I should have. But when I believe in something, I believe in something. That... and I have a heart for the underdog - I always want to see them succeed. This film, LOVE & VODKA, though it started out as a piece written by fledging screenwriter RJ Fox (who has come a long way since he first wrote the original script and has since written many scripts, books and essays), has turned out to be so much bigger than any of us. For me, it's a vehicle for hope and standing up against the bullies of the world. More on that later, but for now -- thank you for reading. If you are so inclined, please help spread the word and share via word of mouth, email, social media shout out, essay, blog or news article. Comments are closed.
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AuthorAn actress, director, producer and writer, Heidi welcomes you to her Blog. Learn about her latest endeavors and garner a glimpse into her recent accomplishments, both professional and personal. Archives
February 2025
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