Kickstarter

JOIN THE REVOLUTION HEARD THROUGHOUT THE WORLD—Help us launch a cross-country documentary film tour!

THE FILM:
Words of Witness is a feature-length documentary that follows Heba, a 22 year-old journalist, as she navigates Egypt’s Revolution. Every time Heba heads out to cover the historical events shaping her country’s future, her mother is compelled to remind her, “I know you are a journalist, but you’re still a girl!” Defying cultural and gender norms and family expectations, Heba takes to the streets to report on an Egypt in turmoil, using tweets, texts, and Facebook posts. Her coming of age, political awakening and the disillusionment that follows mirrors that of a nation seeking the freedom to shape its own destiny, dignity and democracy.  Described as “RAW AND FASCINATING” by the Wall Street Journal, the film was shot on site in Egypt as the historical events surrounding the revolution unfolded.

Words of Witness premiered with much acclaim at the Berlinale Film Festival earlier this year and will have its North American premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival in June.  The film will also be shown as part of the Human Rights Watch Film Festival in late June in New York.  We are thrilled to announce that ROCK THE VOTE has teamed up with Words of Witness to co-host the film at both festivals.  Now, we are planning to simultaneously launch an independent cross-country tour to share the film beyond the film festival circuit with communities and campuses in every corner of the U.S.!

HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED:
We need your help in sharing Heba's story and the larger story of Egypt’s revolution.  Our film tour is extremely timely, being released on the heels of the "year of the protester," as the Occupy movement continues to grow in the US and the 2012 presidential election cycle gears up.  We aim to expand the dialog about the Egyptian revolution, the power of the voice of the people, and evolving democratic societies by sharing Heba's story.

We plan to screen the film nationwide to over 50 colleges and communities followed by lively discussions bringing together non-profit organizations and diverse audiences.

As an educational supplement to the film, we plan to develop an action-oriented modular lesson to distribute to high school and college teachers, and organizations across the US.  Our goal is to teach others about the Egyptian revolution and spark dialogue about the very definition of what makes a democratic society.

Your pledge makes you an active participant, allowing us to share the film with audiences across the country and develop our modular lesson plan to reach even further.  Check out our amazing pledge rewards and don’t hesitate to be in touch!  THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

For more information about the film please visit our website: http://www.wordsofwitness.com/

THANK YOU: ROCK THE VOTE, Executive Producers of Words of Witness: TIFFANY SCHAUER & STEVEN COHEN

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PLEDGE REWARDS

PLEDGE $15 and receive a downloadable Words of Witness screen saver!

PLEDGE $50 and receive this slick silk-screened Words of Witness tote bag!

PLEDGE $75 and receive this ethically-produced and eco-friendly T-shirt!

PLEDGE $125 and receive a Words of Witness poster signed by the director!

**The shipment of all our rewards will be carbon offset by NativeEnergy.  As always if you wish to support our campaign through a donation but save energy costs for production and shipping you may simply choose the “no reward option.”  Your support is invaluable! **

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FAQs
WHAT IS KICKSTARTER?
Kickstarter is the largest funding platform for creative projects in the world. Every Kickstarter project must be fully funded before its time expires. If it's not, then you are not charged for your pledge. Of course, that also means that if we don't raise our goal, we don't get anything. Donors pledge the amounts, but don't actually pay until the goal is reached and the funding deadline ends.

WHERE WILL THE MONEY BE SPENT?
All money raised (minus the fees for Kickstarter’s involvement) will go directly to fund our film tour and modular lesson plan.

CAN WE EXCEED THE GOAL?
YES! Any additional money we raise above the $12,000 goal will help us in planning additional screenings. The rewards will continue to be available even if we reach our goal.

CAN I GIFT MY REWARD TO SOMEONE ELSE?
YES! If you would like to donate to the campaign but give the reward to someone as a gift, go through the standard process of making a donation in your name. For billing purposes, this action must be in your name. After our deadline, we will send a survey to you through Kickstarter. (It will be forwarded to the email address you provided). Please reply with the person’s information that is to receive the reward and we will make sure they are the person who receives it!

CAN REWARDS BE SHIPPED INTERNATIONALLY?
YES!  However in order to offset shipping to countries outside the US we'll ask you to add a set amount to your pledge.  See details below:
Shipping to Canada- please add $5 to your pledge
For shipping to other countries- please add $10 for pledges at the $25 level and $15 for pledges at the $50 range and above.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!