Kickstarter

Alias Ruby Blade is a story which explores the independence struggle in Timor-Leste through a never-before-seen perspective, but it’s about much more than that. It’s about the power of ordinary individuals to overcome seemingly intractable obstacles and change the course of history – a lesson that resonates powerfully around the world today.

ABOUT US

In 2005, we were stationed in Timor-Leste as a documentary unit working for the United Nations and we travelled widely around the country interviewing scores of ordinary Timorese and resistance leaders. When we returned to the United States we began to seek out a way to adapt that story in to a character driven dramatic film which would resonate with a wide audience. While developing the film, we gained experience in making feature films by producing and editing the film “Obscene” which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and is now distributed by Arthouse films, as well as working as editors on Michael Moore’s “Capitalism: a Love Story” and on numerous non-profit and television projects for our commercial production company Ager Meillier Films. Alias Ruby Blade will be our feature film debut.

In the course of making this project we’ve garnered the support of prestigious institutions such as IFP, which selected Alias Ruby Blade as one of only ten films to take part in their 2012 Documentary Lab, and the Tribeca Film Institute which awarded us the 2012 Spotlighting Women Award from the Gucci/Tribeca Film fund.

We have now been invited to make the world premiere of Alias Ruby Blade at the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), in November of 2012, one of the world’s foremost international stages for documentary films from all over the globe.

Finding our audience and gaining distribution are a challenge for any documentary film. Getting the film on to the international stage in Amsterdam is only the beginning. We have ambitious plans for distribution and outreach, but having the best possible film as the centerpiece of that effort is crucial. 

That is why we are now asking for your support – so we can finish the film and present the best possible theatrical version for exhibition at the festival. We hope that running this campaign will be the first step to building that momentum that we hope will ultimately propel us to escape velocity so that our film can fulfill it's potential and reach as wide an audience as possible around the world.

It is often difficult to measure the social impact of a documentary film. But in our case, we believe that by shining a light on the remarkable journey of Kirsty Sword Gusmão , we can elevate her profile as a distinguished humanitarian which will in turn aid her in her important work boosting education and maternal health in Timor-Leste. This film will also highlight the ongoing need for international support for the courageous people of Timor-Leste in their new struggle to eradicate extreme poverty and to continue to inspire the world as a beacon of hope for people everywhere struggling for freedom.

REWARDS

We have some great rewards including books:

and high quality original photography from Timor-Leste shot by Alex Meillier (director) and Shane Sigler (director of photography):

HOW KICKSTARTER WORKS

Kickstarter is a tool for the creative world to gather the help and support needed for their projects. Kickstarter’s platform allows filmmakers like us to share our project with the unlimited Internet community. We create a profile, set a fundraising goal and a time frame to meet it, and offer the rewards/incentives.

However, Kickstarter is an ALL OR NOTHING proposition. This is where you come in. That means we NEED to meet our goal of $20,000. If we raise even a dollar short of our goal, we lose it all, and everything is refunded.

CAN WE RAISE MORE THAN OUR GOAL?

OF COURSE! Kickstarter allows us to raise as much money as is given before the deadline. This means more ability for us to meet our final goals we set for Post-Production, yet in a shorter timeframe. All the help and support we get will be greatly appreciated!!!