New series alert! We’re excited to announce a new ongoing collaboration with crowdfunding and content streaming platform Seed & Spark. Seed & Spark is an entertainment platform built to increase representation in media and help creators build sustainable careers, In our ongoing mission to amplify the voices of women and female identifying people, we want to highlight filmmakers’ crowdfunding campaigns you can support, and content on their streaming platform. Each project we highlight is centered on women’s stories, female characters, and a majority women behind the scenes making art to disrupt Hollywood norms.
Here are three crowdfunding campaigns you can support. The first is a short drama called ‘Sugar’ which tells the story of the inner child we all carry within, but have suppressed as we’ve become more aware of ourselves. Tania is a 6-year-old hispanic, sugar-addict and eccentric girl that has been raised with her single mother in Santa Ana, California. When she is publicly body shamed by a group of teenagers, her perspective of her body and what femininity means is challenged.
Tania loves sugar and sees nothing wrong with indulging in life’s sweet pleasures, but when her mother’s weight-gain concerns and society’s beauty start sinking into Tania’s subconscious, her perspective of her own body slowly begins to change and Tania is forced to see the world in a more realistic manner, realizing that which has never been obvious to her. This project heavily represents the Hispanic and the female community. We want to tell the story of girls whom have grown up in a misogynistic ambience where female empowerment has been discouraged.
The second campaign is a scripted series called ‘FON’, written, produced and directed by a young black female by the name of Chanel Addison. ‘FON’ depicts three college students who are struggling to wrap their minds around the fact that they possess unique powerful abilities and are far from normal. Amid this, they find out that they have much more in common than they could have ever imagined. ‘FON’ sheds light on the unexpressed issues of rape, substance abuse and neglect in foster care by following the lives of the characters Seth, Manisha, and Scarlett.
With black women filmmakers being underrepresented in the film industry, supporting this project means a contribution toward seeing more diversity in the industry. Watch the trailer video below:
The third campaign is raising funds for a comedic scripted series called ‘Kalabasas Encounters’, touching on our culture’s obsession with the Kardashians (who reside in the city of Calabasas in Southern California), but with an other-worldly twist. A more intelligent life form comes to save planet Earth! Unfortunately, they mistakenly choose to share their knowledge with the Kalabasas family. This Kardashian-esque family hasn’t dealt with issues bigger than bad botox. Drama ignites and an unexpected series of events spirals into total chaos.
This is actually the third season of this series, created by two independent female filmmakers aiming to bring more of their unique story to bigger audiences, they chose to launch their campaign with a funny rap video, giving you a glimpse of what to expect.
‘Kalabasas Encounters’ will have you hooked in the drama and weirdness from the very first episode. The whole season takes place over the course of three comedy packed days. These two aliens had only dreamed of interacting with humans and were excited about working with them to save the universe. However, after encountering the Kalabasas family, the severity of Earth’s situation became very clear and they knew humanity was doomed. With plans of returning to their planet and immediately removing earth from existence, they decide to extend their stay with the Kalabasas’.
Over on Seed & Spark’s streaming side, here are some awesome films to support right now. ‘Ms. Texas Senior’ is a short documentary from filmmaker Shelby Hadden. Rejecting the notion that beauty has an age limit, 23 women age 60 and up travel to Dallas to compete in Ms. Texas Senior America pageant. They showcase their talents, interview skills, evening gowns and life philosophies in a celebration of women and age.
‘Cents’ is a feature-length teen drama created by Christopher Boone. Twelve-year-old Latina math whiz, Sammy Baca, uses her gift for mathematics and enlists her frenemies to revamp the school penny drive into a major money making operation. We had an opportunity to interview lead actress Julie Flores in 2016 when the film was first released, which you can read in full here.
And ‘Devi (Goddess)’ is an LGBTQ short drama from Karishma Dube, showing that stories about Indian women go far beyond stereotypical Bollywood narratives, and have the ability to challenge patriarchal and conservative preconceptions. When Tara and her household maid are caught together at a dinner party, Tara must suddenly redefine who she really is according to society. This film, which stars Priyanka Bose from the Oscar Nominated film ‘Lion’, explores the realities of being a closeted lesbian in contemporary India.
To stream the above content and support independent filmmakers who are creating stories that center the voices and experiences of women, head over to Seed & Spark to get a free month of viewing, and subscribe for only $6.99 a month.
