MLK weekend tends to be a favorite for social innovators and documentary filmmakers alike.
First, there’s the occasion to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr., whose legacy reminds us all that peaceful, respectful change is possible — and that social innovation is a concept worth working for and filming every day.
Second, there’s the Sundance Film Festival, which annually gets underway around MLK weekend and features some of the most beautiful, powerful and unusual films to surface all year.
It’s a changemaker’s event, yet changemakers tend to think of their own stories landing at Sundance as a far-off dream. A big reason they cite: budget.
If you’re in the same camp, creating film-worthy change but worried you don’t have the budget to fund your film, think again.
Why? Because crowdsourcing has changed the game.
Here’s a message from Kickstarter this past week:
It’s an exciting week for film: 20 Kickstarter-funded projects are heading to Sundance, and The Square, a documentary about the Egyptian revolution that was backed by 1,317 people, received an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature! This is the fourth year in a row that a Kickstarter-funded film has been nominated for an Academy Award. Fingers crossed!
The 20 Kickstarter-funded projects at this year’s festival represent more than 10 percent of the festival slate, a feat that Kickstarter has pulled off three years running.
So remember: In this day and age, budget should be no obstacle for getting your film to Sundance.