Thanks to the support of over 230 backers, we hit our initial goal of $15,000 with more than a week remaining in the campaign. But we need to keep this going as there are many expenses still to cover.
Sadly, the war in the Nuba Mountains shows no signs of abating. According to the latest reports from the United Nations High Commission on Refugees, civilians are fleeing the Nuba Mountains at double the rate as last year and the year before. 700 - 900 a day are arriving in South Sudan. 70% are children like Madina.
Finishing the film is just the beginning. In order for Madina's Dream to make a difference, we need to keep working hard throughout the coming year. Madina's Dream will be released theatrically in film festivals, through VOD on streaming sites like iTunes, Netflix, Amazon, etc…, on television both in North America and throughout the world, and to targeted audience through grassroots efforts.
It is time for this story to be told. Any additional funds raised will help ensure the maximum reach and impact of Madina's Dream.
Help me finish Madina’s Dream in time for its world premiere at South By Southwest International Film Festival (SXSW), kicking off a multi-platform international release. This is a huge opportunity as it has been selected as one of ten films to be featured in the documentary competition, out of a record number of submissions.
The Nuba Mountains are a remote and ruggedly beautiful region in Sudan where the Nuban people eke out a pastoral and agrarian subsistence in relative isolation to the modern world. Now the Nuban people are the target of an insidious war that is threatening their ethnic and cultural identity… and in fact their very existence.
Having filmed for five months in the Nuba Mountains, I am still haunted by the absurd experience of hiding in a foxhole with these small children, as an airplane circles above dropping bombs on their village. Sadly the war continues unchecked, and has greatly intensified over the last few months.
To get a taste of what's going on in the Nuba Mountains through the eyes of children who experienced the war in their own village, please check out the Op-Docs I created recently for the New York Times: Toys of War
Madina’s Dream has received funding and support from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Humanity United, the New York State Council on the Arts, Cinema for Peace Foundation, some private investment and my own personal funds. More funding is needed now to complete the film and release it to the world.
I urgently need to come up with at least $15,000 to finish the film for the SXSW premiere. Some of the larger expenses include sound design/mix at roughly $12,000 and color-correction and output of quality screening masters at roughly $5,000. I am even arranging a final shoot in the Nuba Mountains to see how the key characters are doing today.
If we can surpass this goal, the additional funds will go a long way to ensure the continued success of the film.
In return for your support, I am offering a number of rewards. Please note, just about all the rewards include a digital download of the film after it's released. So pick what you want & you'll be sure to get a chance to see the film.
You can pre-order the Madina’s DreamDVD, or buy the new/updated Andrew Berends Documentary Film Collection on DVD.
I’m also offering limited edition prints of still photographs I took while filming in the Nuba Mountains:
A limited-edition archival quality 20x30 image of a Nuban family.
A limited-edition archival quality 20x20 image of hardware for sale in the market in Yida Refugee Camp.
A limited-edition archival quality 8x10 Print or 5x7 Postcard Size Print of the clay figures created by Madina and her friends.
This film is the product of the dedication and hard work of a devoted team that has worked for little or no compensation.
My hope is that in some small way Madina’s Dream will help raise awareness of the plight of the Nuban People, and I will be infinitely grateful for your support.
(Please feel free to contact me directly to discuss larger contributions or alternative ways to support the film.)
Fieldwork: director Andrew Berends at work in the Nuba Mountains...
Once funded, we don't anticipate any setbacks. The film has already been accepted to the festival, and with your much-needed support, we will make the premiere of MADINA'S DREAM a success in March at SXSW!
