Jun 7, 2013 - REZ Sets Crowd-Funding Record on Seed&Spark
Production Of NYC Film School Alum That Will Shine Spotlight On The Life in Native American Reservation To Honor Late College Friend Was Funded Within 72 Hours
Brooklyn, NY – Special Boy Films Ltd today announced that its short film project Rezhas set a record for being the fastest growing campaign on Seed & Spark, the world’s first crowd-funding and digital distribution platform made just for independent films.
The production of Rez was crowd-funded within just 72 hours on Seed&Spark thanks to the overflowing support from the Native and independent film community. The film project also received a Spike Lee grant and a nod of approval from the famous filmmaker on social media.
Featuring a talented Native American cast, Rez tells the story about Daniel Nightbird, an Ojibwe teen living on the Leech Lake reservation. Daniel is taking care of his young sister alone and, down to his last dollar, is suddenly evicted. The eviction sets in motion a desperate search for a safe place on the Rez, which is harder to come by than even he imagined.
“There is no question that the presence of Native American stories has been largely missing from American film narratives. Rez seeks to change that, by showing the humanity in us all,” said Dominique DeLeon, the director and writer of Rez, and NYU film school alum.
Dominique DeLeon was inspired to write the film after the untimely death of his college roommate at Harvard University, Duane Meat. Over the years, DeLeon has never forgotten his promise to his friend — to bring light to beauty and hardships of life on the Rez. It was this promise that prompted DeLeon to live on Leech Lake reservation for a summer, where he put together the moving story that would come to be Rez.
The film illustrates the plight of the 7th generation, the group of young men and women who have come of age in the time of the 7th fire (present day). In the original prophecy, the task of the 7th generation is difficult: they are given the calling of returning to their people the spiritual ways that have been lost and righting the balance in the world, largely without the help of the older generation. Though a story that originates in native culture, it has wider implications, as in the film, the main character is left to rediscover the nature of the circle, and in doing so find a way to trust and develop his innermost judgment on its own.
Rez will begin its summer tour in July 2013 and bring the film to the people who have overwhelmingly supported the project and made it an overnight success. Though Rez reached its initial funding goal in a record 72 hours, additional funding is being sought in order to add additional screenings to meet with audience demand.
For more information and support, visit http://www.seedandspark.com/studio/rez and https://www.facebook.com/ontherez
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Rez Teaser Trailer from Special Boy Films on Vimeo.