Indie Feature Competes with Hollywood for Crowdfunding Dollars

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

You’ve seen the headlines this week about Zack Braff’s crowdfunding campaign that was launched on April 24 and has already surpassed its $2 million goal. You’ve heard about Kristen Bell and her successful crowdfunding campaign that raised almost 3 times it’s $2 million goal for a movie version of her CW TV show Veronica Mars.

But have you heard of Silent Retreat, the $50,000 independent horror movie that’s trying to raise $30,000 to finish the post-production for their indie film on the crowd funding site indiegogo.com?

Silent Retreat’s crowdfunding campaign was launched on the same day as Braff’s campaign, which has sparked a passionate debate on social media sites such as Twitter. Fueled by anger about big Hollywood names who have access and money that the average independent artist doesn’t, crowdfunding proponents seem to feel that Braff’s campaign goes against what crowdfunding was created to accomplish. 

 
At its heart crowdfunding was created to support big ideas and big visions from companies who only have a little bit of money. It's about the global community banding together to support projects that would never have the chance to succeed without the help of an invested group of supporters. Crowdfunded projects have given independent artists a chance to have their voice heard in a world where the louder and popular voices seem to always win. It's about putting the indie back into film to create movies that stem from passion and inspiration, movies like Silent Retreat. 

Silent Retreat is director Tricia Lee's second genre feature film. In December 2011, she attended a 10-day silent meditation retreat. Her writing partner Corey Brown told her "think of a thriller while you're there". And when the kernel from Tricia's experience was fertilized with the creative juices from Corey's mind, so Silent Retreat was born.

Logline:

In this quiet horror film, Janey is sent to a silent meditation retreat in the middle of the woods for rehabilitation, only to discover that the men who run it are brainwashing women to be quiet and submissive, and if she breaks the rules, she'll discover what lurks beyond the trees ... 

The indie film company A Film Monkey Production is producing this small feature film with the bare bones investment that was raised from Tricia’s family. The dedicated cast and crew came out and worked crazy long hours, overnight, in the cold, for free to get the movie in the can. Now, they are seeking $30,000 to finish post-production through a crowdfunding campaign at indiegogo.com/projects/silent-retreat to send the film to distributors and film festivals and find its audience. 

Your contribution will help them share the theme of this movie with audiences around the world. This isn't just a bloody, scary creature feature. It's about women letting their voices be heard and standing up because they matter in this world.

“If making this movie has taught me anything, it's that everyone needs to do whatever they can to let their voice be heard. That's why we're doing everything we can to finish Silent Retreat. It's time to give the voices back to indie films. Hollywood may have the loudest crowdfunding campaigns, but we've got the most passionate.” Lee says.

Producer / Director: Tricia Lee
Co-Producer: Chris Agoston
Writer: Corey Brown
Line Producer: Chris Luckhardt
Director of Photography: Christian Bielz
Production Designer: Jennifer Morden
SPFX Designer: Shaun Hunter
Editor: Mike Reisacher
Cast: Chelsea Jenish, Sofia Banzhaf, Robert Nolan

Familiar 2012 (Short Film) Review

It seems like just when you think you have everything you want in life is when the urge to want more creeps up on ya.  Some people just can't be content with what they have.  That's when life starts to take a turn for the worse.  Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!

It's another monotonous morning in the life of John Dodd (Robert Nolan).  Robert gets up and gets ready for work while his wife Charlotte (Astirda Auza) makes breakfast.  Robert is telling himself that when his daughter Jordan (Cathryn Hostick) leaves for College he is going to pull out his savings and buy a new truck and just leave. That night Roberts wife tells him she is pregnant and now he thinks he is stuck again.  Looking on the Internet for a way to have an abortion without her knowing.  He finds a pill that will cause an abortion.  Will the voice in Roberts head tell him to abort this baby?  Or will Robert take over for himself and do the right thing.

Familiar is a 20 minute short film that is very well written.  There is not much dialogue between the characters, but the entire film is narrated by the main character Robert.  This adds to the creepiness of the film.  Most of the narration is almost in a whisper.  The acting is not what you would expect from a short.  It seems that all three characters in the film are experienced actors and do a fine job displaying their talents.  The film does have some twist and turns that keeps you interested to what will happen next.  I found myself glued to my Tablet not able to look up till it was over.

I was very impressed with Familiar.  From the acting, to the storyline, and the twists.  It all was very appealing to my horror appetite.  The main character played by Robert Nolan was so dark and creepy that i could not get over the fact that I have never seen him in any other movie before.  He does have a resume that is building and I would not be surprised to see him in some major motion pictures in the future.  This is more of a psychological and methodical horror movie than say your traditional slasher movie.  Its good to give the brain an exercise every once in a while.  Stay twisted everyone!