Tag Archive for: crowdfunding

You Can Help ‘The Climate Canary’ Sing

Vanessa Wells (DEGANZ) and The Climate Canary team are in the final stretch of post-production and are crowdfunding to help cross the finish line.

The 90-minute documentary highlights three remarkable women from differing generations and their scientific work in Antarctica. Oceanographer Dr Natalie Robinson leads a team of ten scientists on an epic world-first research trip to McMurdo Sound. Jacqui Stuart, a biologist and self-confessed algae geek, is on her first trip to Antarctica. Meanwhile, Emeritus Professor Patricia Langhorne mentors them both from Aotearoa after more than 25 deployments to the Poles. The film asks if meaningful social change is possible and how these women tenaciously hold onto hope. For scientists on the frontline of climate change, their surprisingly refreshing attitudes are raw and heartening.

Vanessa, as director and producer, pitched the film at the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) in the Central Showcase earlier this year, garnering interest from distributors, agents, and broadcasters.

Now, the team is adding the finishing touches, with its $10,000 stretch goal going directly to animation costs. To make the film’s complex science more accessible, the team is utilising animation to convey it in delightful and comprehensive ways.

Director and producer Vanessa says,

With NZ making some difficult u-turns in the environmental space right now, this documentary feels even more important to finish as soon as possible!

They hope to release the film in 2024.

Find out more about The Climate Canary on the Boosted page HERE!

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Murdie’s Out of This World Boosted Campaign

DEGANZ member Joe Murdie is seeking support on Boosted for his short film, Planet 13.

Set in 2093, the film takes place on a rabidly dying planet, ravaged by human activity, and devoid of natural fuel resources. With the planet on the brink of collapse, a young couple set out on a dangerous journey to secure the scarce resources needed to escape to a new world, where they can, hopefully, start afresh.

Written and to-be-directed by Joe, the film reflects on humanity’s complacency towards the state of the earth, speculating on the idea of a backup planet. The title is even a witty reference to the idea of a ‘Plan B’.

The film aims to appeal to sci-fi lovers, honing in on the dystopian space aesthetic, while also striking a chord with those who are passionate about the climate crisis.

Joe shares,

I’ve always been passionate about the environment and have worked on a number of factual pieces looking at different aspects of human impact on the earth. This film stems from the a idea of if we were too start fresh on a new planet, with our current knowledge and access to technology, etc, would we act differently?

The team is aiming to raise $25,000 to begin principal photography in February 2024. The funds will cover talent, additional crew, location permits, and specialist props, hair, and makeup costs.

Check out the Boosted campaign HERE!

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‘The Sea Inside Her’ Sea-ks Support

Want to see a 6-foot-long shark swim through a living room? DEGANZ members Alyx Duncan and Adam-Luka Turjak are raising funds through Boosted to do just that in their new silent film, The Sea Inside Her.

When a loving grandmother, left to care for her grandchild, has to cope with an unravelling bedtime routine, her deepest fears begin to take on physical forms. Desperate to protect her grandchild from the emerging dangers, the grandmother fights off the terrors surrounding them despite the emotional consequences.

Alyx directed the piece using her unique movement-led filmmaking, incorporating performers, puppets, and VFX to create lyrical surrealism within the frame. This style builds upon her previous short, The Tide Keeper, where she wove the fantastical and mundane together. Alyx is also one of three producers of the film, alongside Michele Powles, who wrote the piece, and Lani-rain Feltham.

Adam-Luka has been at the helm of the project’s post-production as the Editor, Post-Production Supervisor, and one of the Visual Effects Compositors.

The team is now looking to raise $8,000 to cover the project’s final costs, including removing puppeteers and strings and completing the final colour grade.

You can check out their Boosted campaign here!

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March’s ‘I SEE YOU’ Boosted Campaign

DEGANZ member Briar March is crowdfunding to complete her new short film, I SEE YOU.

The film, written and directed by Briar, tells the story of a young mother struggling to see her 2-year-old daughter with Down Syndrome for who she is – a beautiful baby girl. Briar and the short’s producer, Caroline Hutchinson, share in the Boosted campaign that the film deeply resonates with their experiences of motherhood, as both are parents of children with Down Syndrome.

Briar shares with DEGANZ,

I wrote I SEE YOU to both challenge and inspire, questioning our judgments and expectations about the way we see the world and ultimately encouraging audiences to accept and embrace people for who they are.

The project has completed production with funding from the NZFC Fresh Shorts programme but needs a further financial push to carry out post-production. The $15,000 goal will go towards sound design, colour grade, and music. Briar has secured fellow DEGANZ member Adam-Luka Turjak as the film’s editor.

You can visit the Boosted campaign here!

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McGill Seeking Support for ‘FARM’ on Boosted

DEGANZ member Kate McGill is seeking support for her short film’s Boosted campaign.

Inspired by a dream Kate had nearly ten years ago, FARM is about Jeanie, an elderly woman who believes her late husband has been reincarnated as a cow on her farm. While Jeanie is deeply connected to her farm, her family thinks it’s time she moves into an aged care facility. But she isn’t ready to let go of her home, life, or husband.

The film grapples with love, loss, and slipping memories. Kate delves into the bonds we form with a place, loved one, home, and everything we do to stay connected when we are being left behind. The film will be slow, cheeky, and dark, but finds gentle comedic moments.

This will be Kate’s first short film, which she shares feels deeply personal as the project’s writer and director. She has recently stepped into directing after working primarily as a professional actor and casting director. In 2022, she made her TV directing debut with Raised by Refugees, an award-winning comedy series available to watch on Neon.

Funds from the Boosted campaign will help cover insurance, onset catering, paying cast and crew, locations, and post-production costs.

You can help bring Kate’s (literal) dream to life by supporting the Boosted campaign. You can donate here or support Kate and the team by spreading the word to your friends and whānau!

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