Letters of Commitment

For 4 plus years now our team has been immersed in the grant writing process for our film. One component that is often included in these grants are letters of commitment from our team. Each time we check over these letters to include in our grant packets, we are reminded why we must keep pushing forward in this long and often hard process of finishing our film. This story and the people behind it have captured the hearts of so many people. Inspired by the perseverance and hope that these filmmakers poses, they have committed to a journey with us until the end. We wanted to share with you one such letter. This letter comes from our 23 year old Production Assistant.

Thank you to all of you who have followed us on our journey to finish this film. No matter the size of your involvement, your commitment and care for this film is why we push on.

To Whom It May Concern:

I began working with Film Festival: Rwanda around the time they launched their Kickstarter campaign in May 2010.  I had heard, from many different people, about a woman in Seattle making a documentary about filmmakers in Rwanda who were using the power of story to heal after the horrific genocide.  I had recently graduated with a degree in Digital Technology and Culture, studying the interaction of our culture and the technology which drives it.  This project was up my alley to say the least.  I contacted Leah and we hit it off immediately. She sent me some footage of the film and the moment I saw the faces behind this story I was hooked.  There was never a question, I had to be involved with this project and I have not stopped since.

I have been working for Leah since the first day we spoke.  I manage our social media outlets, working hand in hand with her on public outreach and audience engagement.  I have also helped with fundraising, research, subtitling and editing assistance.  This is more than a job to me.  It is more than a project I love.  It is everything. Words cannot describe the connection I feel to the individuals featured in our film and as well as to the common human experience that they represent.  Though their triumph comes from a deeper suffering than many of us will ever know, we are all looking for our voice in this world.  I believe with all my heart that this story of hope cannot go untold.

It has been a joy to have the privilege of helping Leah share our project with the public through social media.  It has been magical to watch the way people have fallen in love with this story and have become so invested in our quest to finance this film.  The support of our community of followers has been incredible and is a testament of what this story means to so many people.

I am committed to the completion of this film and I will be giving all my time and effort to this project until the end.  I am filled with confidence not only that this team is capable of completing this film, but that this story is capable of touching the world.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Aly Schoonover

Getting To Know Rwanda

In the summer of 2007, Chris Towey and Leah Warshawski sat at Bourbon Coffee shop in Rwanda hashing out the details of a dream that would later become Film Festival: Rwanda - a documentary film. Our team has spent the last four years traveling to Rwanda to capture this dream. The time we have spent in Rwanda has touched each of our hearts in a very special way.

There are so many fascinating facts to know about this beautiful country (known as “The Land of A Thousand Hills”) and we thought it would be great to share some of them with you…as you follow us in our journey to complete our film!

11.4 million people live in Rwanda – it is among the highest density populations in Africa. The population is relatively young, around 43% of people living there are under 15 years old. Rwanda is roughly the size of Maryland and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The whole country sits at a very high altitude. The lowest point is 3,117 feet above sea level!

The principal language spoken in Rwanda is Kinyarwanda and the capital is Kigali. Tourism is now the country’s leading foreign exchange earner and the tracking of Mountain Gorillas is the most popular tourist activity.

Music and dance are an integral part of  Rwandan festivals, social gathers and storytelling. Traditional arts and crafts are produced throughout the country as well. Woven baskets and bowls are especially common.

Rwanda has a rich a beautiful culture, stay tuned for more fun facts!

“Reel Change” Workshops!

Still reeling from the “Reel Change” workshops last week for 3 days in San Francisco – hosted by BAVC, Working Films, and The Fledgling Fund!  There were about 30 filmmakers in attendance and the schedule was tight with guest speakers, mentor sessions, and small group work.  I spent the first day in awe that I was sitting in the same room with some of my role models, and then next 2 days really digging into outreach and audience engagement strategies that will be so helpful for our film.  I’m incredibly thankful to have been a part of these workshops and know that it’s going to take a while longer for all the info to sink in.  I will be sure to post the notice for the next session in case anyone wants to apply the next time around!

Some things we learned about and talked about include: educational distribution, outreach, different audience engagement strategies, strategic partnerships, successful proposals, funding, and social media tools.

More Travels of the Inflatable Screen

The inflatable screen hits the road once again for another outdoor movie night!  This time our team members traveled with the big screen to Sinclair, an island in the San Juans.  One of our amazing Kickstarter backers received a movie night with the inflatable screen as a reward for his generous contributions to our film during our Kickstarter campaign. It is so important to us to show our gratitude to our wonderful supporters and our team had an amazing time doing just that on our trip to the San Juans! What could be better than a yard full of family and friends kicking back to a great movie on a huge inflatable screen? We would say nothing!

There are always opportunities for movie nights with our inflatable screen, indoors or out! Please contact us if you are ever interested in setting up a movie night or helping us out with a fundraiser in your area. A million thanks to all of our supporters and stay tuned for more from the “Film Festival: Rwanda” team!

Thank you 4Culture!

SEATTLE, WA – July 18, 2011

Film Festival: Rwanda has been selected for the 4Culture 2011 Individual Artist Projects award in the amount of $8,000!

We were selected for this award from among 314 eligible applicants by the 4Culture Arts Advisory Committee and the 4Culture Board of Directors made up of artists living in King County.  The peer panel felt that Film Festival: Rwanda demonstrated artistic excellence in the quality of the project, feasibility and ability to accomplish the project; and a clear plan to provide access and public benefit for King County residents.  For more information on 4Culture, the cultural services agency for King County, visit their website at www.4culture.org

We are so excited and grateful for this grant – it could not have come at a better time! Thank you 4Culture for believing in us!

New Trailer and Kickstarter Campaign – JUST LAUNCHED

Watch our new trailer and pitch!

Our new trailer and pitch campaign was just launched on Kickstarter.com!  Thanks to Todd Soliday who stayed up for 48 hours straight to make sure we launched in time, and for helping Chris and I talk on camera – something we are NOT used to doing… I am so thankful for our passionate and generous team.

We’re very excited to share this footage with you and we need your help to reach our funding goal before May 31st!  Please take a look and let me know what you think!

Thank you so much for your continued support – we CAN NOT make this film without you.

Jan. 13, 2011: Big Sky Here We Come!

We just learned that our film was accepted for the INTERNATIONAL PITCH FORUM at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Montana, on Feb. 17, 2011!  Since we made the announcement, I have been extremely humbled by the response from our friends, family, and supporters.  I am so incredibly grateful to our community of supporters, and EVERYONE who has helped us get to this point.

We will have 20 minutes at the forum to present our film and trailer, and then the panel of industry professionals with critique our work.  Our ultimate goal is to make connections that will bring us closer to finding 75K to get through post-production.  And we know that all new connections are good ones at this point!

Please stay tuned for more updates from the festival next month and we look forward to sharing the trip with you!

Leah

Looking For Matching Funds or Challenge Grant

We are getting ready to initiate a big Kickstarter campaign and fundraiser, showcasing some our new footage!  Before we start the campaign, our best advisor (who also happens to be my father) recommended we find matching funds or a challenge grant to match donations and give more incentive to donate during the campaign.  He is so smart

Please let me know if you or anyone you know would be generous enough to match donations and help us spread the word about our project!  With your help, we will be able to finish a rough cut of the film before the end of this year!

 

Rwanda Production Prints Displayed for West Seattle Art Walk

We are still looking for venues to display and sell this collection – All proceeds are for our editor to keep working! Please let me know if you have any ideas or places to display.  Here are some photos from the Art Walk last night!

Prints on Display Tonight for West Seattle Art Walk! 6-9PM

Need holiday gifts? Or just free drinks?
Photos and prints from “Film Festival: Rwanda” will be on display tonight for the West Seattle Art Walk – Mural Apartments lobby from 6-9PM. Please stop by to say hello, or just for free drinks and snacks! All proceeds will go towards completing our film.
Hope to see you there!

Address for Mural Apartments:

4727 42nd Ave SW

Seattle, WA, 98116