Kickstarter

Welcome to our Kickstarter page! We, the producers of Dune Club, are quite literally on a race: an urgent effort to fund our documentary about a race across the Moroccan desert. Time is ticking fast as the race starts in less than two months! Come be a part of our adventure! We’ll bring you back sand, love and quite possibly a camel.

SYNOPSIS:

150 teams of women from around the globe are currently preparing for the biggest adventure of their lives. For nine days in March, these women compete in the Rallye Aicha Des Gazelles, the only all-women’s off-road race on earth. Speed is not the objective, but the least number of miles traveled is. With only a compass, outdated maps, and basic instincts, these women must navigate the harsh terrain of the Western Sahara to reach the finish line. 

STORY:

As the blazing sun rises over the sand dunes, a Bedouin nomad leading his camel across the sand is startled to see two women poring over their maps. This team wears cargo pants, aviator sunglasses, and bandanas over their unwashed hair. To the nomad, they look like a strange breed of human. In reality they are a fierce breed of woman—throwing themselves into a fight against nature, battling their own limitations, against the very stereotype of what women are physically capable of. 

From the moment the gun is fired and tires kick up sand at the starting line, the Rallye Aicha Des Gazelles challenges the teams in ways they could not imagine. Many are surprised at how quickly they forget about the pressures of being a model woman today—high-powered jobs, anti-wrinkle creams, diets, PTA meetings—because the only form of perfection in the desert is surviving until they reach the next checkpoint. Whether they succeed depends not on speed, but rather on how accurately they can navigate from point A to point B. This pattern continues for nine grueling days as they brave sandstorms, change flat tires, and camp alone at night under stars that are so bright, they seem to light the entire desert.

For some of the teams, this is a true race for the finish line, but for others, the real prize is the Rallye Aicha Des Gazelle experience—an experience that participants say changes your life. It is lesson in living: bravely, fully, and sublimely.

WHY IS THIS FILM IMPORTANT…AND FUN?

This isn’t just a documentary; it’s a mash-up of genres and genders. It has something for everyone: the adventure of Indiana Jones, the relationship complexities of a road-trip buddy movie, the scenic beauty of the Sahara, and the do-or-die drama of competitive sports. It’s important because we see women succeed in a sport that is typically male-dominated (and hey, dispel the myth that women can’t drive!). Since there is no cash prize, the money generated from the race goes toward humanitarian efforts. By supporting this film, we elevate the profile of the Rallye Aicha Des Gazelle so that their charities receive even more support. (See below to find out more about some of the charities you’ll be supporting.)

THE TOTAL MEDICAL CARAVAN: This traveling clinic—comprised of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, opticians, and logistics personnel—provides free services in general medicine, pediatrics, gynecology, optometry, diabetes testing, and pharmaceuticals to those living in remote southern Moroccan villages.